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Foreword 


When  we  started  on  this  long  voyage,  we  realized  that  all  the  members  of 
both  of  our  families  would  be  anxious  to  receive  a  consecutive  and  detailed 
account  of  what  we  did  and  what  we  saw.  We  also  were  anxious  to  hear  from 
them  all  regularly  during  our  long  absence,  and  realized  that  to  reap  one 
must  sow. 

Our  relatives  are  sufficiently  numerous  and  scattered  as  to  residence,  to 
make  it  impracticable  to  accomplish  our  object  by  individual  letters.  So  we  hit 
upon  the  plan  of  writing  this  diary  and  mailing  it  back  in  installments  to  my 
Secretary  in  San  Francisco,  Miss  Slusher.  She,  on  her  part,  made  a  number 
of  typewritten  copies  and  mailed  them  to  all  those  on  a  list  furnished  to  her. 
Not  a  single  installment  failed  to  reach  the  United  States  in  due  course. 

The  plan  worked  out  very  well.  Each  one  of  our  correspondents  received 
regularly,  a  much  fuller  account  of  our  trip  than  would  have  been  possible  by 
any  other  means. 

Since  our  return,  we  have  been  asked  to  collect  these  detached  writings 
in  more  convenient  form,  and  the  following  pages  are  the  result. 

ROBERT  OXNARD 

and 
NELLIE  S.  OXNARD. 


M127183 


Itinerary 


(I9I9) 

Oct.  2.  Sail  from  Vancouver,  S.  S.    "EMPRESS  OF  RUSSIA". 

Oct.  13.  Arrive  Yokohama,   Grand  Hotel. 

Oct.  14 

to  15.  Yokohama. 

Oct.  17 

to  20.  Nikko. 

Oct.  20.  By  rail  to  Tokyo,  Imperial  Hotel. 

Oct.  21 

to  24.  Tokyo. 

Oct.  25.  By  rail  to  Kodzu  and  motor  to  Miyanoahita. 

Oct.  26 

to  29.  Miyanoshita. 

Oct.  30.  Back   to   Tokyo,    Imperial   Hotel. 

Nov.  1 .  Tokyo. 

Nov.  2.  By  rail  to  Kyoto. 

Nov.  3 

to  15.  Kyoto,   Kyoto   Hotel. 

Nov.  13.  Excursion  to  Nara  and  back  aame  day  to  Kyoto. 

Nov.  1 6.  Leave  Kyoto  by  morning  train  for  Miyajima,  arriving  4  p.  m. 

Nov.  1 7.  Leave   Miyajima    4   p.  m.    for  Shimonoaeki,    arriving   9   p.  m. 

Leave  by  Night  Steamer  for  Fusan. 

Nov.  1  8.  Arrive  Fusan  9  a.  m.,  proceed  by  rail  to  Seoul,  arrive  8  p.  m. 

Nov.  1 9.  Seoul,    Hotel   Chosen. 

Nov.  20.  Leave  Seoul  9:50  a.m.  for  Shingishu,  Korea,  Railroad  Hotel. 

Nov.  2 1 .  Leave  Shingishu    11   a.  m.  for  Mukden,  Manchuria,  arrive  8  p. 

Nov.  22.  Leave  Mukden    10:30  a.m..  Railroad  Hotel. 

Nov.  23.  Arrive  Peking,    12   noon. 

Nov.  23 

to 

Dec.  7.  Peking,  Grand  Hotel  des  Wagon  Lita. 

Dec.  8.  Leave  Peking   8:30   a.m.,   arrive  Tientain    11:30  a.m. 

No  stop  in  Tientain. 

Dec.  9.  Arrive   Nanking   2:20   p.  m.      No   atop  at  Nanking. 

Arrive  Shanghai   9  p.  m. 

Dec.  10 

to  15.  Shanghai,   Aator   Houae   Hotel. 

Dec.  16.  Leave  Shanghai,   S.  S.   "EMPRESS  OF  RUSSIA". 

Dec.  19.  Arrive   Manila   6   p.m.,   Manila   Hotel. 

Dec.  21.  Arrive  Baguio  by  motor. 

Dec.  22.  Leave   Baguio.      Arrive  Manila   at  night. 

Dec.  25.  Leave   Manila,  S.  S.   "ECUADOR". 

Dec.  28.  Arrive  Hong  Kong,   Hong  Kong  Hotel. 

to  30.  Hong  Kong. 

Dec.  3  1 .  Canton. 

(1920) 

Jan.  1 

to  3.  Hong  Kong. 

Jan.  4.  Leave  Hong  Kong  by  S.  S.    "KASHGAR". 

Jan.  8.  Arrive  Singapore,   Rafflea  Hotel. 

Jan.  9.  Leave  Singapore  by  S.  S.   "MELCHIOR  TREUB"  in  evening. 

'Jan.  1  1 .  Arrive  Batavia,   Hotel  Nederlanden. 

Jan.  12 

to  13.  Batavia. 

Jan.  14.  Leave  Batavia   for  Buitenzorg  by  rail,   7:12   a.m. 

to  15.  Buitenzorg,   Hotel  Bellevue. 

Jan.  1 6.  Arrive   Garoet,   Hotel  Papandaja. 

Jan.  1 7 

to  1 9.  Garoet. 

Jan.  20.  Leave  Garoet  by  rail,   6:10  a.  m. 


Jan.  20.  Arrive  Djokja  Karta    1  :30  p.  m..  Grand  Hotel. 

Jan.  2 1 

to  23.  Djokja.      Motor  to  Boroboedoer.      Trip  to  Samarang. 

Jan.  24.  Leave  Djokja  by  rail   I  1  :30  a.  m.  for  Garoet,  Hotel  Papandaja. 

Jan.  25 

to  26.  Garoet. 

Jan.  27.  Leave   Garoet    by   motor   for   Buitenzorg    (via    Bandoeng    and   Soeku- 

boemi),  Hotel  Bellevue,  4  p.  m. 

Jan.  28.  Buitenzorg. 

Jan.  29.  Leave  Buitenzorg  for  Batavia  6:15  a.m..  Hotel  des  Indes. 

Jan.  30.  Batavia. 

Jan.  31.  Leave  Batavia    12  noon,  S.  S.   "GROTIUS"  for  Ceylon. 

Feb.  2.  Arrive  Singapore  and  sail  the  same  day. 

Feb.  3.  Stop  to  take  on  passengers  at  Bela wan-Deli,   Sumatra. 

Feb,  4.  Stop  at  Sabang,  Sumatra. 

Feb.  8.  Arrive  Colombo  9:30  a.m.,  Galle  Face  Hotel. 

Feb.  9 

to  1 0.  Colombo. 

Feb.  11.  Leave    Colombo    by    motor    7:15     a.m.    for    Bandarawella.       Arrive 

4   p.  m..    Hotel  Bandarawella. 

Feb.  12.  Nuwara  Eliya,  Grand  Hotel. 

Feb.  13.  To  Kandy,  4  p.m..  Queen's  Hotel. 

Feb.  14.  Leave  Kandy  for  Colombo. 

Feb.  1 5 

to  1 6.  Colombo. 

Feb.  1  7.  Leave  Colombo  for  Port  Said,  "S.  S.   "CITY  OF  LAHORE". 

Feb.  28.  In  Red  Sea. 

Feb.  29.  Bay  of  Suez. 

Mch.  2.  Port  Said  to  Cairo,  Shepheard's  Hotel. 

Mch.  3 

to  6.  Cairo. 

Mch.  7.  Leave  Cairo,  8  p.  m.  for  Luxor. 

Mch.  8.  Arrive  Luxor,  Winter  Palace  Hotel. 

Mch.  9 

to  10.  Luxor. 

Mch.  1  1 .  Arrive  Cairo    7  a.  m.,   Shepheard's  Hotel. 

Mch.  12 

to  15.  Cairo. 

Mch.  1 6.  Leave  Cairo   1 2  noon  for  Alexandria,  Hotel  Majestic. 

Mch.  1  7.  Leave  Alexandria  for  Sicily,  S.  S.  "SICILIA". 

Mch.  20.  Arrive  Syracuse  at  12  noon.     Arrive  Taormina  at  night. 

Mch.  21 

to  27.  Taormina.    Villa    San    Pancrazio    Hotel.       Excursion    to    Mount    Etna 
and  Catania. 

Mch.  28.  Leave  Taormina  by  rail.     Arrive  Messina,  Select  Hotel. 

Mch.  29.  Leave  Messina  by  motor.     Arrive  Palermo,  Hotel  Igiea. 

Mch.  30.  Palermo. 

Mch.  31.  Leave  Palermo  via  S.  S.   "SICILIA"   for  Naples. 

Apr.  1 

to  2.  Naples,   Hotel  Excelsior. 

Apr.  3 

to  4.  Pompeii,    La    Cava,    Nietri,    Amalfl,    Sorrento,    Capri    and    return    to 
Naples. 

Apr.  5.  Naples. 

Apr.  6.  Leave  Naples   10  a.m.  for  Rome,  arrive  3  p.  m..  Hotel  Excelsior. 

Apr.  7 

to  1 7.  Rome 

Apr.  18.  Leave  Rome  7:45  a.  m.  for  Florence.     Arrive  3  p.  m. 

Apr.  19 

to  28.  Florence,  Grand  Hotel. 

Apr.  29.  Leave  Florence  by  motor  for  Venice  via  Bologna  and  Padua. 

Apr.  30 

to 

May  2.  Venice,  Hotel  Danieli. 

May  3.  Padua. 


May  4 

to  7.  Florence,    Grand    Hotel. 

May  8.  Genoa. 

May  9 

to  12.  Monte  Carlo  via  Ventimiglia,   Hotel  de  Paris. 

May  13 

to  14.  Cannes,  Hotel   "Gray  et  d* Albion".      Excursion  to  Grasse. 

May  15.  Lyons,   Hotel  Bristol. 

May  16.  Leave  Lyons  via   Dijon   for  Paris. 

May  17 

to  29.  Paris,   Hotel   "Plaza  Athenee".      Excursion  by  motor  to  Eastern  Bat- 
tlefields. 

June  30.  Entire  party,  except  R.O.,  leaves  for  London,  Claridge's  Hotel. 

July  1.  R.    O.   leaves   Paris   for  Germany  via   Cologne. 

July  2.  Cologne. 

July  3.  Berlin,   Magdeburg,  Kleinwanzleben. 

July  4.  Kleinwanzleben.      Guest  of  Mr.  Rabbethkc. 

July  5 

to  6.  Berlin,    Hotel   Adlon. 

July  7.  Frankfort    on    the    Main,    Frankfurter    Hof    Hotel,    5    p.  m.    train    to 

Cologne,  through  the  Rhine  Valley. 

July  8.  Arrive    London,     6    p.  m.    via    Ostend,     rejoining    rest    of    party    at 

Claridge's. 

July  9 

to  13.  London,  various  excursions  by  motor. 

July  16 

to  17.  The  Hague,  via  Harwich  and  the  Hook  of  Holland,  Hotel  des  Indes. 

July  18 

to  20.  Amsterdam,   Hotel  Amstel. 

July  2  1 .  Rotterdam  and  then  Antwerp,  Grand  Hotel. 

July  22.  Antwerp. 

July  23 

to  26.  Brussels,  Hotel  Astoria. 

July  27.  Brussels  to  Paris. 

July  28 

to 

Aug.  1  1.  Aix-les-Bains,  Hotel  Mirabeau.     Motor  excursions  in  environs. 

Aug.  12 

to 

Sept.  15.  Paris,  various  excursions  by  motor. 

Sept.  16.  Boulogne,  S.  S.   "ROTTERDAM"  for  New  York. 

Sept.  26.  New  York,  Hotel  Plaza. 


Synop 


SiS 


39 

days 

26 

days 

6 

days 

n 

days 

22 

days 

10 

days 

16 

days 

12 

days 

38 

days 

5 

days 

6 

days 

8 

days 

7 

days 

5 

days 

100    days 


n  Japan  and  Korea. 

n   Manchuria  and   China. 

n   Philippines. 

n   Hong  Kong,  Singapore,  etc. 

n   Java  and  Sumatra. 

n   Ceylon. 

n  Egypt. 

n   Sicily. 

n   Italy. 

n   Monte   Carlo. 

n  Germany. 

n   England  (Mrs.  O.  and  party  did  not  go  to  Germany,  but  spent 

weeks  in  England), 
n   Holland, 
n  Belgium, 
n   France. 


60    days  at  Sea. 
361    days   from  Vancouver  to  New  York. 


Table  of  Contents 


Page 

Foreword 3 

Itinerary    4 

Synopsis     7 

Chapter       1.      The    Start    11 

2.  Japan   and  Korea   19 

3.  Manchuria    and    China    47 

4.  The    Philippines    63 

5.  Hongkong  to  Singapore  73 

6.  Java  and  Sumatra  83 

7.  Ceylon 1 03 

8.  The  Red  Sea,  Suez  Canal  and  Egypt  1  15 

9.  Sicily    and    Italy    129 

10.      France     (1)     163 

1  1.      Germany    195 

1 2.  England   205 

13.  Holland  and   Belgium   209 

14.  France    (11)    219 

15.  Home  Again 239 


CHAPTER  I. 

The  Start 


Our  Trip  Around  the  World 


SAN  FRANCISCO,  SUNDAY,  September  28,   1919. 

After  a  Sunday  supper  at  Sallie's,   consisting  of  Welsh  rarebit  and  cold  fish 

mayonnaise,  the  first  made  by  Mrs.  W.,  and  the  second  by  Louie both  delicious 

—we  took  the  9:20  P.M.  ferry  boat,  instead  of  the  10:20,  for  Vancouver,  via 
Portland  and  Seattle.  Harry  and  Josephine  motored  down  to  the  ferry  from 
Burlingame  to  say  goodbye,  and  the  following  took  the  boat  over  with  us: 
Marie  and  Louise,  Sallie,  her  two  girls  and  Al.  On  the  other  side  we  found 
Will  and  Bessie  Taylor,  who  had  motored  from  Piedmont. 

It  rained  off  and  on  during  the  night  so  that  the  Sacramento  Valley  was 
neither  dusty  nor  hot.  We  w^ere  very  comfortable  in  our  drawing  room,  and 
the  diners  were  very  good,  contrary  to  what  several  friends  had  led  us  to 
expect.  Nothing  special  to  report  until  Seattle,  where  our  through  sleeper 
stopped. 

SEATTLE,  TUESDAY,  September  30,  1919,  5:30  P.  M. 
Took  a  miserable  chair  car  of  the  Great  Northern  for  Vancouver — crowded 
to  the  doors — some  people  standing  part  of  the  way;  diner  however  pretty 
good.  Baggage  inspection  at  the  Canadian  line  quite  perfunctory; — opened 
nothing,  which  was  fortunate  as  our  three  valises  were  so  jammed  full  that  it 
was  a  herculean  task  to  close  them.  Kept  losing  time  so  that  it  was  nearly  mid- 
night when  we  reached  Vancouver.  Fortunately  w^e  got  a  taxi  quickly  and  were 
near  the  head  of  the  line  at  the  desk  of  the  Hotel  Vancouver,  to  be  told  that 
there  was  no  room  for  us,  although  we  had  telegraphed  several  days  ahead. 
A  most  inefficient  and  irresolute  night  desk  clerk  fussed  and  fumed  for  over  an 
hour  before  he  finally  fixed  up  a  room  for  us.  How  those  below  us  in  the  line 
fared,  some  parties  with  little  children,  I  do  not  know.  We  got  into  bed  at 
1  :30,  in  a  room  that  Mrs.  O.  described  as  "filthy"  and  the  bath  room  worse — but 
the  beds  w^ere  good. 

VANCOUVER,  WEDNESDAY,  October  1.   1919. 

Last  night  we  got  a  telegram  from  Sallie  saying  that  a  pearl  ring  that  Nellie 
had  missed  at  the  last  moment  had  been  found  by  our  servants.  This  morning 
a  telegram  of  goodbye,  very  nicely  worded,  from  Manager  Noble  of  Oxnard, 
in  answer  to  one  of  mine;  also  a  similar  one  from  Colonel  Duval  at  Rocky  Ford, 
including  Henry,  Nannie,  Miss  Gordon  and  Caroline,  their  colored  maid,  one  of 
my  many  good  friends.  We  also  heard  that  Carl  had  delivered  our  Packard 
limousine  to  a  buyer  who  bought  it  two  months  ago  for  future  delivery,  but  had 
subsequently  welched  on  his  bargain  and  had  to  be  allowed  $200.00  rebate.  To 
add  to  the  tragedy,  just  as  Carl  was  driving  the  purchaser  around  for  a  spin  to 
demonstrate  its  good  condition,  one  of  the  tires  burst  and  had  to  be  replaced 
with  a  new  one. 

We  decided  that  it  was  impossible  to  proceed  with  such  crowded  hand 
baggage,  so  we  bought  a  steamer  trunk  and  sent  back  to  San  Francisco  our 
smallest  valise.  Our  baggage  now  consists  of  two  innovation  trunks,  one  steamer 
trunk,  one  lady's  hat  trunk,  one  hold  all,  two  valises,  one  coffee  machine,  one 
fitted  bag,  one  medicine  case,  umbrellas,  etc. 


12 

We  went  down  to  inspect  the  "Empress  of  Russia."  She  is  a  big,  powerful, 
confidence-inspiring  boat.  The  stewards  are  all  Chinese  which  is  an  added 
recommendation  for  us,  Nellie  particularly.  Our  cabin  is  jvery  satisfactory, 
except  that  the  beds  are  narrower  than  we  had  expected.  It  is  not  very  large,  in 
fact  the  bath  room  appears  very  large  by  comparison.  We  saw  the  second 
steward  and  secured  a  small  table,  seating  only  two.  The  captain  is  a  friend 
of  the  Rogers  family  and  distinguished  himself  during  the  war.  Blythe  Rogers 
gave  me  a  card  for  him  w^hen  he  called  w^ith  his  mother,  sister  and  husband  of 
a  month,  a  professional  violinist.  I  imagine  that  the  profession  would  not  have 
been  to  her  father's  liking,  had  be  been  still  alive,  but  the  mother  says  he  is  a 
very  fine  fellow  and  artist. 

Our  checked  baggage  will  be  transferred  from  the  railroad  station  to  the 
steamer  without  any  examination. 

VANCOUVER.  THURSDAY,  October  2,   1919. 

The  name  of  Mrs.  Rogers*  son-in-law  is  Mischel  Chermovsky.  He  and  his 
brothers,  Leo  and  Jan,  (one  a  pianist)  had  just  returned  from  a  professional 
tour  of  the  world  when  he  was  married.  They  went  the  reverse  way  along  our 
proposed  line  of  travel.  A  concert  by  the  three  is  advertised  here  for  next  week. 
The  young  couple  is  to  live  in  London,  from  where  he  will  tour  professionally. 
He  is  a  Russian. 

The  time  of  sailing  has  been  postponed  to  2 :00  P.  M.,  but  we  went  aboard 
at  1  1:30  to  settle  ourselves  before  lunch,  which  was  served  on  board  at  12:30. 
The  bill  of  fare  reads  sumptuously.  They  have  a  number  preceeding  each  item 
on  the  menu,  presumably  to  facilitate  ordering  from  the  Chinese  waiters  when 
their  knowledge  of  English  is  deficient.  There  were  twenty-five  numbers;  I 
ordered  No.  19,  Snipe  on  Toast,  but  it  must  have  been  a  bird  of  the  spring 
flight  last  year,  kept  in  cold  storage  ever  since,  for  it  had  no  taste  whatever. 
The  curry  was  very  good.  We  have  selected  the  first  sitting — lunch  12:30  to 
1:30,  dinner   7:00. 

When  we  arrived  on  board  we  received  a  large  number  of  telegrams.  In- 
cluding those  of  the  day  before,  they  are  from: — Sallie  and  all  her  family, 
Marie,  Ben  and  Robbie,  Alice,  Fanchette  and  Louise,  Harry  and  Josephine, 
Colonel  Duval  with  his  people  and  Henry,  the  San  Francisco  staff.  Noble  and 
the   Oxnard    staff,    Lillie    Harding,    Mrs.    Driffill   and    family,    Mountford    Wilson, 

George  and  Edie  Delong,  the  latter  received  at  Victoria,    New  York  office  staff 

fourteen  in  all. 

We  also  received  flowers  from  Mrs.  Rogers,  and  from  the  members  of  the 
San  Francisco  office,  which  are  very  much  appreciated. 

Harry  sent  us  the  address  of  his  ex-cook,  returned  to  Kyoto,  Japan,  where 
we  are  to   call  upon  him. 

Casting  off  shortly  after  2 :00,  it  took  us  nearly  five  hours  to  reach  Victoria, 
where  we  stopped  a  couple  of  hours  to  take  on  mail  and  passengers,  and  we 
were  well  under  way  when  I  went  to  bed  at  1  1  :30.  As  I  left  the  smoking  room, 
the  waiters  were  bringing  up  supplies  to  turn  the  ship  from  dry  to  wet. 


N.S.O. 

S.S.  "EMPRESS  OF  RUSSIA",  AT  SEA  FRIDAY,  October  3>  WiQ- 

Our  stateroom  is  not  as  comfortable  as  we  thought  it  would  be;   we  have  no 
bureau  to  put  anything  on  and  have  to  keep  our  little  things  in  our  suit  cases  and 


13 

trunk.  There  is  a  brass  bed  and  over  it  a  berth  but  the  space  between  the  two  is 
so  limited  that  one  could  not  sit  up  without  touching  one's  head  against  the  berth 
above.  So  we  have  had  the  couch  made  up  as  our  second  bed  and  will  try  that. 
The  bath  room  is  the  comfort  of  the  suite  and  is  certainly  very  convenient,  otherwise 
it  would  not  be  worth  what  we  pay  for  it. 

We  are  having  a  wonderful  day  as  far  as  climate  is  concerned;  it  is  not  at  all 
cold  and  scarcely  any  wind  at  all.  So  far  we  have  not  met  anyone,  but  have  been 
in  our  rooms  resting  most  of  the  time. 

We  did  speak  to  a  woman  we  had  seen  on  the  train  and  she  proved  to  be  a 
dressmaker  from  Shanghai,  Mme.  Linoff.  She  told  me  where  I  could  get  beautiful 
laces  in  Shanghai  and  when  we  get  there  she  will  take  me  to  the  places.  I  am  not 
going  to  lose  sight  of  her  as  I  can  see  she  will  be  very  valuable;  even  with  the  duty 
of  sixty  percent,  she  says  she  thinks  I  can  get  better  and  cheaper  laces  than  she 
has  ever  seen  in  Europe.  She  is  a  Russian  but  has  been  in  China  ever  since  the  war 
began.  She  is  returning  from  New  York  where  she  went  to  get  the  latest  styles, 
materials,  etc.  She  says  that  Bendel  is  just  a  little  bit  better  than  anyone  else  in 
his  line. 


Our  breakfasts  are  so  simple;  cereal,  coffee  and  toast,  that  we  have  decided 
to  have  them  in  our  cabin.  The  bath  tub  only  has  salt  water  but  our  cabin 
boy — Wong  by  name,  residence  Hongkong — brings  us  a  small  tub  full  of  fresh 
water  to   make  a   lather. 

AT  SEA,  SATURDAY  AND  SUNDAY,  October  4-5.  1919. 

Nothing  of  note  to  write  about.  Our  days  are  spent  in  eating  and  reading 
affd  walking  the  deck.  We  have  made  no  acquaintances  as  yet  but  there  is  a 
family  that  interests  me.  They  were  on  the  train  with  us  from  San  Francisco. 
The  husband  is  a  French  officer  (aviation  1  think)  ;  the  wife  also  French,  and 
three  children,  two  girls — 12  and  I  1,  and  a  boy  of  9 — Chinese  nurse.  1  learned 
from  the  children  that  after  two  months  stay  in  San  Francisco  at  the  Palace 
they  are  returning  to  their  home  in  China.      I  mean  to   make  his  acquaintance. 

Sunday  morning  there  was  a  little  more  movement  to  the  ship  and  Nellie, 
although  not  exactly  sea  sick  did  not  go  to  the  dining-room  for  lunch,  but 
accompanied  me  to  dinner.  After  dinner,  to  my  surprise  on  an  English  ship, 
there  was  dancing  to  the  music  of  a  Filipino  or  Korean  band;  but  they  had 
squared  themselves  by  religious  services  in  the  morning,  conducted  by  the 
Captain.  The  roll  of  the  ship  occasionally  interfered  with  the  accuracy  of  the 
steps.  The  French  officer  was  one  of  the  best  dancers.  We  watched  them 
till  after   10:00. 

AT  SEA,  MONDAY,  October  6,    1919. 

It  rained  most  of  last  night.  The  ship  continues  to  log  between  440  and 
460  miles.  Weather  overcast  and  cold.  In  the  way  of  books,  we  are  devoting 
ourselves  to  Sir  Frederick  Treves'  "The  Other  Side  of  the  Lantern";  Murray's 
"Handbook  of  Japan"  and  "Peking  Dust",  the  latter  given  us  by  Mrs.  Lord  and 
very  interesting  though  light.  I  also  read  aloud  to  Nellie  "The  Little  Visiters", 
gift  of  Mrs.  Filer — supposed  to  be  the  unaided  work  of  a  child  of  nine,  which 
I  doubt.  It  will  do  to  while  away  a  couple  of  hours.  Sir  Frederick  Treves*  (a 
celebrated  English  surgeon)  book  describes  a  trip  through  the  Orient,  the  reverse 
way  of  ours,  and  is  exceedingly  well  written. 

In  the  evening,  while  watching  the  dancing,  we  got  acquainted  with  Captain 
Charles  Ricou  and  his  wife.      They  are   returning  home   to   Macao,   where   he   is 


14 

French  folk  songs,  in  the  peasant  costume  of  Brittany.  She  also  is  on  the  way 
to  Vladivostok  as  an  entertainer  of  the  Y.  W.  C.  A. 

AT  SEA,  SATURDAY.  October  11,  1919. 
They  expect  to  dock  at  Yokohama  early  Monday  morning.  We  struck  up 
an  acquaintance  with  a  young  Mrs.  Leybold  of  New  York,  returning  to  her 
husband  at  Singapore,  where  he  has  a  position  with  the  United  States  Rubber 
Company.  She  has  two  young  children,  is  pretty  and  attractive  and  likes  bridge. 
We  played  with  her  and  the  French  woman  in  the  afternoon,  and  again  with 
her  and  a  Y.  M.  C.  A.  entertainer  in  the  evening.  They  sold  an  auction  pool 
on  the  ship's  run  in  the  evening  and  it  contained  over  $600.00.  It  w^as  won. 
the  next  day  by  No.  449.  Some  photographs  that  we  took  of  the  coolie  games 
were  not  a  success,  as  the  day  was  overcast. 

AT  SEA,   SUNDAY,   October    12.    1919. 

The  excitement  of  the  morning  was  furnished  by  Nellie  washing  her  hair. 
We  are  looking  forward  to  landing  tomorrow,  as  the  trip,  though  restful,  has 
been  monotonous;  and  the  food,  with  high-sounding  names,  tasteless.  We  are 
told  that  this  will  be  the  case  in  the  hotels  of  the  Orient. 

We  have  met  a  Mr.  Wolcott  Griswold  Lane  and  his  wife  of  No.  15  East  74th 
Street,   New  York;    a   lawyer.      In    1889   he   was   for  a   year  studying   in   the   law 

office  of  Garber,  Boalt  and  Bishop lived  with  the  Boalts  and  accompanied  Alice 

out  in  the  evenings.  He  was  in  the  Yosemite  with  the  Garber  party  in  1 889 
when  the  Stetson  family,  Chauncey  and  1  were  there. 

I  will  mail  this  diary  on  landing  in  Yokohama  tomorrow  and  hope  it  will 
get  an  early  steamer. 

Received  and  typed  at 

San  Francisco,  October  31,1919. 


15 

in  business.  He  was  two  and  a  half  years  in  France  as  an  aviator;  three  times 
wounded;  once  desperately  when  he  fell  and  broke  both  legs  and  an  arm,  besides 
severe  wounds  in  the  head;  could  have  been  invalided  but  refused  and  returned 
to  his  work  as  soon  as  his  wounds  permitted.  He  has  to  go  to  Hong  Kong 
on  business  two  or  three  times  a  week.  The  journey  takes  four  hours  but  as 
soon  as  he  gets  his  aeroplane  in  Macao  he  will  do  it  in  twenty  minutes. 

AT  SEA,  TUESDAY,  October  7,  1919. 
I  had  sent  my  card  with  the  introduction  from  Blythe  Rogers  to  Captain 
Robinson,  and  this  morning  he  sent  the  Steward  to  invite  us  to  his  cabin.  Nellie 
was  not  yet  ready,  so  I  went  alone.  He  was  in  the  transport  service  on  the 
Pacific  until  April  1919,  when  his  ship  (this  one)  was  employed  in  transporting 
troops  from  New  York  to  Liverpool  and  Brest,  until  after  the  armistice.  He  says 
it  seems  like  a  miracle  to  him  that  the  American  troops  should  have  gotten  across 
without  casualties;  not  alone  from  the  danger  of  submarines,  but  even  more 
from  the  necessity  of  sailing  the  transports  in  violation  of  every  rule  of  good 
seamanship.  Convoys  in  close  formation,  often  only  400  yards  apart,  in  thick 
weather,  without  lights  and  without  signals  by  whistling;  always  aiming  to 
make  land  at  night,  no  matter  how  thick  the  weather;  constantly  changing 
courses,    etc.,   etc.      He   speaks   highly   of  the  American  soldiers. 

Rogers  Senior  w^as  one  of  his  most  intimate  friends  and  I  w^as  not  surprised 
to  hear  that  the  marriage  of  the  daughter  was  a  bitter  disappointnient  to  the 
family.  But  they  could  not  control  her  as  her  father  had  left  her  $15,000.00 
a  year  in  her  own  right.  If  only  he  were  a  great  musician — but  Captain 
Robinson  says  the  three  brothers  were  infant  prodigies  when  fourteen  to  sixteen 
years  old  and  have  not  progressed.  They  have  sailed  on  his  ship  and  he  does 
not  think  much  of  them  as  men. 

AT  SEA,  THURSDAY,  October  9,  1919. 
Yesterday  was  Tuesday  the  7th,  but  as  we  crossed  the  1 80th  meridian  we 
dropped  a  day,  and  so  1  was  pitchforked  into  my  sixty-sixth  year  one  day  too 
soon.  1  shall  never  get  it  back.  In  spite  of  my  game  arm  and  hand,  I  feel  that 
I  have  reason  to  be  thankful  for  my  physical  condition  at  sixty-six;  and  either 
my  hand  is  improving  a  little  or  else  I  am  learning  to  make  better  use  of  it. 
My  greatest  difficulty  is  in  putting  my  arm  into  the  sleeve  of  my  coat,  and  still 
more  of  my  overcoat,  for  the  muscles  of  my  left  shoulder  feel  stiff  and  contracted. 
Dr.  Cooper  said  he  did  not  think  massage  would  help  me,  but  1  think  I  will  try 
it  in  Japan.  It  cannot  do  any  harm  and  I  have  a  feeling  (strongly  shared  by 
Doctor  N.  S.  O.)  that  it  will  do  good.  Nellie  met  today  a  Mrs.  Hugh  J.  Chisholm, 
a  widow  of  New  York,  who  had  a  letter  for  her  from  Mrs.  George  Delong. 

In  the  evening  a  group  of  men  gave  a  performance  in  the  reading  room, 
consisting  mostly  of  comic  stories,  and  songs  to  banjo  and  other  similar  accom- 
paniment. It  was  neither  very  good  nor  very  refined.  They  are  Y.  M.  C.  A» 
entertainers  on  their  way  to  Vladivostok. 

AT  SEA,  FRIDAY,  October  10,  1919. 
Bright  sunny  days  and  warmer.  In  the  afternoon  picked  men  from  the 
several  companies  of  Chinese  coolies  returning  from  the  war  zone,  contested 
for  prizes  subscribed  by  the  passengers.  There  were  tugs  of  war,  pillow  fights 
while  straddling  a  spar,  blindfold  boxing  matches,  apple  eating  contests,  etc. 
They  were  all  good  natured  and  enjoyed  themselves.  In  the  evening  Miss  Grace 
Ewing,  professional  singer  of  New  York,  but  born  in  San  Francisco,  where  her 
mother   lives   on   Jackson   Street    opposite   the    square,    gave   a    recital,    including 


CHAPTER  II. 
Japan  and  Korea 


19 

YOKOHAMA,  MONDAY.  October  13,  1919. 
We  anchored  in  the  stream  about  7:00  A.M.  but  the  Doctor's  visit  and 
examination  of  passports  took  up  three  hours.  The  Japanese  guide  from  Cook's. 
Tominaga  by  name,  reported  to  us  about  8:00  o'clock  and  took  charge  of  our 
baggage,  etc.  When  we  got  to  the  Grand  Hotel,  we  found  that  we  could  not 
get  our  room  and  bath  before  late  afternoon,  as  it  w^as  occupied  by  some  people 
who  were  going  on  East  by  the  "Empress  of  Russia."  Perhaps  they  took  our 
vacated  cabin  on  the  ship.  The  room  was  on  the  third  floor  (two  flights  up) 
and  no  elevator.  This  was  a  disappointment  as  walking  up  stairs  distresses 
NeUie. 

We  went  to  Cook's  where  we  thought  we  might  get  a  cable  from  the 
Mountford  Wilsons  as  to  their  plans,  but  found  nothing.  Mr,  Picquet  (Cook's 
agent)  made  some  slight  changes  in  our  itinerary.  He  has  heard  nothing  yet 
as  to  our  accommodations  from  Hongkong  to  Singapore,  nor  from  Bombay  to 
Suez,  and  at  first  was  quite  pessimistic  as  to  our  being  able  to  get  from  India 
to  Europe.  The  next  day,  when  I  showed  him  the  official  letters  that  Henry  got 
for  us,  he  changed  his  mind  and  thought  we  would  get  through  all  right.  1  am 
to  present  my  letters  to  Ambassador  Morris  at  Tokyo  next  week  and  will  get 
his  help  and  advice  in  the  matter. 

We  then  took  a  short  drive  in  rickshaws  through  the  town  and  back  to  the 
hotel  for  lunch.  The  table  is  excellent  and  I  enclose  a  lunch  menu  for  Miss 
Slusher  to  copy  here: 

TIFFIN 

Relishes:       1.    Tsukudani  2.    Indian    Chutney  3.   Sardines   in   oil 

4.    Dill  Pickles        5.    Chow  Chow 

Soup:    6.    Puree  of  Lentils         7.    Consumme  Colbert 

Fish:     8.    Cold   Prawns   Mayonnaise 

Entrees:     10.    Mexican    Chile   Con   Carne         11.    Boiled   Ham    and   Cabbage 

1 2.    Chicken    Pie    Family    Style 

13.    Curried  Pigeon  with  Rice  14.      Welsh  Rarebit 

From  the  Broiler — 10   minutes  required: 

15.    Broiled  Sirloin  Steak  with  Fresh  Mushrooms 
Vegetables:     16.   Stewed  Parsnips         17.   Creamed  Spinach         18.    Boiled  Onions 

19.    Boiled   Potatoes         20.    Mashed   Potatoes         21.    Baked    Potatoes 
Cold    Meat:      22.    Roast    Beef  23.    Chicken  24.   Ham  25.    Ox    Tongue 

26.    Corned  Beef 

Salad:     27.    Herring         28.    Lettuce 

Dessert:    29.    Lemon   Ice  Cream         30.    Cakes         31.   Pudding   Bresilienne 

Cheese:    33.    Swiss         34.    Edam         35.    Canadian         36.    Fresh  Cottage 

37.   Assorted    Fruits   in    Season 

38.    Coffee  39.    Tea  40.    Milk 

Dishes  ordered  not  on  the  bill  of  fare  will  be  charged  extra. 

Tuesday,  October    14.    1919. 

THE  GRAND  HOTEL,  YOKOHAMA,  JAPAN. 

In  the  afternoon  it  began  to  rain  but  in  spite  of  that  we  again  took  rick- 
shaws and  went  to  several  shops  selling  silks  and  table  linen.  Nellie  did  not 
decide  on  anything. 

We  have  seen  so  many  foreign  cities,  and  also  Chinatown  at  home,  that 
Yokohama  does  not  seem  so  strange  as  it  might  to  some  who  had  not  seen 
Orientals  as  we  have. 


20 

YOKOHAMA.  TUESDAY.   October    14,    1919. 

We  took  a  delightful  automobile  drive  to  Kamakura,  where  we  saw  the 
Diabutsu,  or  big  Buddha,  of  bronze,  nearly  fifty  feet  high,  very  celebrated;  also 
another  temple,  dedicated  to  the  God  of  Mercy.  The  drive  outwards  was 
inland  through  a  hilly  country,  exceedingly  pretty,  and  the  valleys  highly  culti- 
vated with  rice  (irrigated)  and  various  truck  crops.  Rice  is  treble  the  pre-war 
price  and  farmers  highly  prosperous.  The  land  is  cultivated  largely  by  tenants, 
though  there  are  also  small  land  owners  (a  very  few  acres  to  the  farm).  Rice 
harvest  just  commencing  by  hand  with  sickles — the  rice  is  planted  in  close  rows 
(about  12  inches),  a  few  grains  every  ten  to  twelve  inches,  or  else  if  a  single 
grain,  then  it  stools — guide  did  not  know  which.  The  return  trip  was  mostly 
along  the  shore  of  Mississippi  Bay,  so  called  after  Perry's  flag  ship,  and  was 
also  very  pretty. 

I  called  this  morning  upon  Mr.  S.  Asano,  President  of  the  T.  K.  K.  Steam- 
ship line,  owner  of  the  dock  yards  across  the  bay  and  the  industrial  King  of 
Japan.  I  had  a  letter  to  him  from  Sam  Knight,  and  a  letter  to  his  son  from 
Rennie  Schwerin.  He  lives  in  Tokyo,  only  forty  minutes  away  by  rail.  He 
invited  us  to  dine  with  hini  when  we  are  in  Tokyo  next  week,  and  also  invited 
me  to  attend  a  lunch  he  is  giving  today  in  Tokyo.  I  accepted  the  former  but 
declined  the  latter.  He  speaks  no  English  so  our  interview  was  through  his 
Secretary  as  interpreter.  We  also  called  at  the  Standard  Oil  Company's  office 
upon  A.  L.  F.  Jordan,  who  married  Jessie  Detrick's  niece  and  is  the  father  of 
Valdemar.  He  was  out  but  called  in  the  afternoon.  He  is  young  looking, 
straightforward  in  manner  and  made  a  good  impression.  He  will  notify  Harry 
Bowie,  who  lives  in  Tokyo,  of  our  arrival  there  soon. 

We  found  a  dish  of  fruit  in  the  room  with  comipliments  of  the  manager  of 
the  hotel,  Mr.  Wilmarth.  After  dinner  we  went  out  with  the  guide  to  see  the 
night  life  of  Yokohama. 

Yesterday  Nellie  engaged  Saku,  a  Japanese  maid,  that  we  will  take  with 
us  as  far  as  Shanghai.  She  is  a  small,  thin,  elderly  woman,  very  mild  and 
apparently   efficient. 

YOKOHAMA.  WEDNESDAY.  October  15,   1919. 

This  morning  at  10:00  we  went  by  motor  to  see,  first,  a  large  nursery  that 
makes  a  specialty  of  dwarf  trees  and,  afterwards,  a  garden  some  few  miles  out 
of  the  city  belonging  to  a  Japanese  of  wealth  named  Hara,  who  throws  it  open 
to  the  public.  It  is  called  the  "garden  of  the  three  valleys",  and  besides  two 
residences  has  temples  (one  a  replica  of  a  celebrated  shrine),  wooded  hills, 
lakes,  shrubs,  lawns — in  fact,  a  fine  place.  Japanese  school  children  were 
wandering  around  in  large  groups  accompanied  by  their  teachers.  We  took 
some  photographs  of  a  group  of  little  girls,  seven  to  ten  years  old  (over  one 
hundred  in  number),  that  were  practicing  for  a  forthcoming  drill  contest.  We 
found  everywhere  on  our  two  motor  trips  these  groups  of  school  children  visiting 
places  of  interest  under  the  guidance  of  their  teachers.  They  were  well  brought 
up  and  very  orderly — more  so  than  our  children  at  home  would  be. 

We  invited  on  this  morning's  excursion  Miss  Ewing  and  Miss  Roberts  of 
the  Y.  W.  C.  A.,   that  I  have  already  spoken  of. 

I  was  delighted  to  receive  on  the  14th  a  cable  signed  by  Ben  and  a  hiero- 
glyphic meant  for  Henry,  congratulating  me  on  my  birthday.  It  took  five  days 
to  get  here,  which  is  considered  good  time  now-a-days.  It  was  doubly  appre- 
ciated as  it  was   entirely  unexpected. 

Cook  referred  me  to  the  International  Banking  Company  as  the  most  likely 


21 

to  have  quotations  of  the  New  York  stock  market.  They  get  nothing  at  all  by- 
cable  and  could  only  offer  mail  advices.  From  the  general  tenor  of  the  news 
in  the  papers,  industrial  and  political,  from  all  over  the  world,  it  does  not  seem 
to  me  that  the  stock  market  can  be  in  very  good  shape. 

We  are  leaving  in  the  morning  for  Nikko,  one  day  ahead  of  our  schedule, 
in  order  to  take  in  a  very  celebrated  procession  that  was  postponed  from  last 
month. 

This  letter  will  go  by  steamer  leaving  in  two  days  and  with  it  goes  warmest 
love  from  both  of  us  to  all  those  that  will  receive  it. 

Received  at  San  Francisco  November  8th. 
Typed  November    1  0th. 

NIKKO,  FRIDAY,  October   17,    1919. 
Elevation    1800   feet. 

Yesterday  morning  we  left  the  Grand  Hotel  at  10:10  A.  M.  by  motor  for 
the  tramway  line  going  to  Tokyo,  through  which  we  must  pass  to  reach 
here.  We  only  took  our  hand  baggage,  the  large  trunks  having  been  sent 
separately  to  the  Imperial  Hotel,  Tokyo,  to  await  our  arrival  there  next  week. 
Everything  was  looked  after  by  the  guide,  who  is  most  efficient.  1  have  never 
travelled  before  with  a  courier  and  1  have  to  pinch  myself  to  realize  that  I  am 
being  conveyed  from  place  to  place  without  having  to  wrestle  with  time  tables, 
hotel  accommodations,  cabs,  tips  or  any  responsibility  regarding  what  to  see 
and  how  to  see  it;  also  the  foreign  language; — the  maid  relieves  us  equally  of 
all  trouble  in  her  department — she  also  is  excellent. 

Contrary  to  usual  routine,  the  first  class  compartment  was  crowded  with 
foreigners  on  their  way  to  see  the  great  procession  tomorrow.  Our  places  were 
reserved  however.  We  reached  Tokyo  at  1  1  :30  and  took  a  half  hour  ricksha w^ 
ride  through  the  Imperial  Palace  Park,  while  waiting  for  lunch  time  and  while 
the  guide  was  rechecking  the  hand  baggage.  Lunch  at  the  station  hotel  was 
good  and  many  guests  were  Japanese,  a  few  old  ones  eating  Japanese  food  with 
chopsticks. 

Arrived  at  Nikko  at  6:20,  already  dark.  Very  good  room,  sitting-room  and 
bath  at  Kanaya  Hotel.  Everything  clean,  service  and  food  good.  1  had  started 
in  having  massage  at  Yokohama  and  1  spoke  for  a  masseur  at  the  desk,  to  come 
to  my  room  at  10:00  P.  M.  In  this  country  you  order  a  masseur  as  you  would 
a  messenger  boy  with  us.  Practically  all  masseurs  in  Japan  are  blind,  there  being 
an  institute  in  Tokyo  to  teach  this  profession  to  the  blind.  So  this  blind  man  was 
led  into  my  room  and  instead  of  giving  me  general  massage,  as  done  at  home, 
he  apparently  wanted  me  to  tell  him  (in  Japanese)  what  1  wanted.  I  started 
him  in  on  my  left  leg  and  he  would  have  pulled  it  till  next  morning,  if  1  had  not 
moved  him  to  another  place.  It  was  most  unsatisfactory  but  I  am  going  to  try 
again  this  afternoon  with  the   guide  to  interpret  and  direct. 

The  night  was  cold,  and  a  charcoal  fire  in  the  sitting-room  stove  was  most 
grateful  this  morning.  This  country  is  simply  beautiful  with  wooded  hills, 
waterfalls,  river  spanned  by  a  wonderful  sacred  bridge  of  red  lacker,  temples 
everywhere  and,  last  but  not  least,  the  roads  crowded  with  Japanese  of  all 
ages  but  mostly  children,  come  from  miles  around  to  see  the  great  procession. 
The  grown-up  Japanese  women,  except  the  Geisha  girls,  dress  in  sombre  colors 
but  the  children  are  dressed  to  look  like  gaudy  flowers.  The  babies  are  carried 
on  the  backs  instead  of  in  the  arms,  and  frequently  on  the  backs  of  "little 
mothers"  not  much  older  or  bigger  than  themselves.  I  saw  a  little  girl,  say  of 
ten,   playing  and  skipping  around  with  a  small  baby  fast  asleep  strapped  to  her 


22 

back,  his  little  head  jerking  about  in  every  direction  with  her  movements  in  play. 

Nellie  had  seen  a  moving  picture  of  this  procession  in  San  Francisco.  It  is 
one  of  the  best  in  Japan  and  was  followed  by  religious  exercises  and  so-called 
sacred  dancing  in  the  courtyard  of  the  temple,  where  it  ended.  You  will  find 
below  the  programme: 

THE  PROGRAMME  OF  THE  PROCESSION. 

The  Sacred  Chairs  start  from  Futawara  temple  (middle  temple)  at  1  1  :00 
a.  m.  and  the  formation  of  the  procession  will  be  as  follows: 

The  Sakaki   (sacred  tree)  carried  by   150  white  attired  men  and  two  guards. 

One  Hundred  Lancers,  w^ith  two  guards  in  advance. 

The  Tengu   (long  nosed  and  red  face)   with  spears. 

Shishi   (Lion)   carried  by  three  men. 

Shishi   (Lioness)    carried  by  three  men. 

Three  Shinto  Musicians. 

Eight  Sacred  Dancing  Women. 

Two  Shinto  Priests,  on  horseback,  with  one  attendant  and  four  horseboys 
each. 

Fifty  Gun-Carriers,  with  two  guards  in  advance. 

Fifty  Bow  Carriers,  with  two  guards  in  advance. 

Fifty  Spear  Men,  with  two  guards  in  advance. 

One  Hundred  Armored  Men,  with  tw^o  guards  in  advance. 

Twelve  Children  with  flow^er  caps  on,  and  tw^o  guards  in  advance. 

Fifty  Different  Masked  Men,   with  two   guards  in  advance. 

Four  Shinto  Priests,  with  big  fans. 

A  Shinto  Priest,  on  horseback,  carrying  a  sacred  sword  and  guarded  by 
two  attendants. 

A  Shinto  Priest,  on  horseback,  carrying  a  Sacred  Flag  guarded  by 
attendants. 

Eleven  Big  Lances  (with  long  flag)  carried  by  fifty-five  white  attired  men, 
w^ith  twenty-two   guards. 

A  Drum,   carried  by  three  white  attired  men. 

A  Bell,  carried  by  three  white  attired  men. 

Thirty  Boys,   in  monkey  figures,  w^ith  two   guards. 

Ten  Monkey  Attendants,   with  monkey. 

Six  Shinto  Priests  of  low^er   order. 

Fifty  Shinto  Priests  of  low^er  order. 

Twelve  Musicians,  with  instruments,  also  a  big  drum  and  bell,  each  carried 
by  two  white  attired  men. 

Ten  Men  carrying  hawks. 

Two  Stands  for  Sacred  Chairs,  each  carried  by  two  white  attired  men. 

The  Gohei   (Sacred  Paper)   carried  by  a  Shinto  Priest. 

A  Shinto  Priest  on  horseback. 

A  Shinto  Priest,  of  second  rank  on  horseback. 

The  Chief  Shinto  Priest,  of  first  rank,  on  horseback. 

Fifty  Men,  in  uniform. 

The  Chief  Sacred  Chair,  carried  by  fifty  white  attired  men  and  forty  guards. 

A  Drum,  carried  by  three  white  attired  men. 

Twenty  Uniformed  Men. 

A  Gohei    (Sacred  Paper)    carried  by  a  Shinto  Priest. 

A  Sacred  Chair,  carried  by  fifty  w^hite  attired  men  and  twenty  guards. 

A  Drum,  carried  by  three  white  attired  men. 


23 

A  Bell,  carried  by  one  white  attired  man. 

Two  Stands  for  Sacred  Chairs,  each  carried  by  two  white  attired  men. 
Gohei  (Sacred  Paper)   carried  by  a  priest. 

Twenty  Uniformed  Men. 

A  Sacred  Chair,  carried  by  fifty  white  attired  men  and  forty  guards. 

A  Yamabushi  (a  Shinto  monk). 

Three  Shinto  Priests  on  horseback. 

At  the  "Temple  of  Otabisho"  where  the  above  procession  ends,  the 
**Azuma"  dance  will  take  place  for  which  the  special  admission  ticket  will  be 
given  at  the  Hotel  Office,  free  of  charge.  After  the  dance,  the  whole  procession 
makes  its  way  back  to  the  "Temple  of  Futawara". 


Nikko  is  full  of  alleys  and  groves  of  cryptomeria  trees,  resembling  somewhat 
redwoods  or  pines,  and  they  are  a  glory.  The  great  temple  of  Futawara,  where 
the  procession  started,  is  surrounded  by  them,  as  is  also  a  wonderful  pagoda  of 
five  stories  attached  to  the  temple — a  picture  of  coloured  lacquer  of  every  hue. 
It  reminded  us  of  the  Bohemian  grove.  The  story  is  that  three  centuries  ago 
a  Daimyo  not  as  rich  as  some  others  and  who  could  not  compete  in  giving 
temples  and  pagodas,  covered  the  surrounding  country  with  these  plantations  of 
cryptomeria  trees,  and  today  his  gift  is  the  greatest  of  all. 

In  the  afternoon  we  motored  along  a  very  famous  road  bordered  by  old 
cryptomerias,  to  the  next  town.  There  we  saw  the  Japanese  garden  of  the 
postmaster,  with  its  private  shrine  and  its  usual  ponds,  bridges,  dwarf  trees,  etc. 
The  owner  invited  us  into  the  house  where  we  had  Japanese  tea,  and  showed  us 
through  both  stories — the  upper  reached  by  stairs  like  a  step  ladder;  the  floor 
of  each  room  is  divided  into  matting  squares  six  feet  by  three  feet,  and  there  is 
no  evidence  of  beds  or  dining-room  table  or  chairs,  etc.  Rooms  are  used 
indiscriminately  for  whatever  purpose  required,  but  there  was  a  sort  of  sunken 
brazier  for  charcoal  in  the  room  used  for  dining.  The  only  other  occupants 
were  two  young  women,  apparently  maids.  They  were  much  amused  by  the 
fact  that  in  getting  around  Nellie  and  1  each  lost  one  of  the  overshoes  put 
upon  the  feet  when  entering  a  home  to  avoid  soiling  the  matting  that  is  used 
for  sitting,  sleeping,  etc.,  as  well  as  walking. 


N.S.O. 
We  met  on  the  way  up  here  (Nikko)  a  Mr.  Steele  from  the  T.  K.  K.  Steamship 
Company  of  San  Francisco,  who  married  a  Miss  Shorb  and  lives  just  below  Mrs. 
Martin's  house  on  Vallejo  Street,  but  whom  we  had  never  met  before.  With  him 
was  Mr.  Chester  Doyle,  a  perfect  character.  His  home  is  in  Honolulu;  he  and  his 
brother  live  there  together  and  have  named  the  place  Nikko.  He  is  the  official 
Japanese  interpreter  of  the  United  States  in  Honolulu  and  is  travelling  in  the  far 
East  to  bring  business  to  the  following  hotels — Belmont,  Biltmore,  Commodore, 
Ansonia,  Murray  Hill  (of  New  York),  and  the  St.  Francis  of  San  Francisco.  He  is 
to  get  acquainted  with  hotel  keepers  throughout  the  Orient  and  have  them  recom- 
mend their  guests  to  those  hotels  in  the  United  States.  He  carries  around  with  him 
an  iron  plate  with  a  handle  at  the  top,  painted  black — letters  of  white  explaining  his 
mission — and  has  himself  photographed  with  this  advertisement  prominently  dis- 
played— standing  up  against  pillars,  gates,  etc.  of  all  the  holy  places  of  Japan.  He 
says  he  will  send  these  photos  back  to  his  principals  to  show  them  that  he  is  holding 
down  his  job.  Withal  he  is  witty  and  bright,  tells  a  good  story — he  is  a  typical 
American  of  the  rough  diamond  type. 


24 

What  was  our  surprise  this  morning  to  receive  a  call  from  Mr.  Zahr  Pritchard. 
He  had  read  in  the  San  Francisco  papers  that  we  were  to  make  this  trip,  so  watched 
the  arrivals  of  all  the  steamers  in  Yokohama  and  at  last  discovered  us.  He  has  a 
house  with  another  man  who  is  an  inventor  of  something  to  pump  water.  He  has 
been  in  Japan  for  seven  months  and  has  not  sold  a  picture,  but  thinks  that  at  last 
he  will  succeed  as  by  some  means  he  is  going  to  give  an  exhibition  in  Tokyo  on 
November  ist,  and  expects  great  things  from  that.  He  is  looking  thinner  and  paler 
than  ever  a^id  what  keeps  his  courage  up  I  fail  to  understand.  We  asked  him  to 
dine  with  us  tomorrow  night. 

NIKKO,  SA  TURD  A  Y,  October  i8,  igiQ- 

We  made  an  excursion  to  the  temple  of  Yeyasu,  the  founder,  in  the  i6th  century, 
of  the  line  of  Shoguns  that  reigyied  over  Japan  until  the  restoration  of  the  Mikado 


It  is  a  simply  wonderful  collection  of  buildings,  covered  with  carvings  on 
wood,  lacquered  in  all  the  colors  of  the  rainbow — principally  red  and  robin's 
egg  blue.  I  must  say  here  that  a  temple  seems  to  mean  an  enclosure  with  a 
lot  of  subsidiary  buildings — besides  the  main  building.  In  this  particular  case 
the  gateway  or  entrance,  called  Torii  in  Japanese,  is  supposed  to  be  the  finest 
in  Japan  but  the  temple  proper  is  surpassed  by  others.  These  Torii,  or  gateways 
to  the  Japanese  temples,  are  without  doors  and  have  one  typical  and  unvarying 
shape,  that  of  a  gigantic  gallows  frame,  with  ornamental  variations.  They  are 
very  effective  and  attractive,  contrary  to  what  my  illustration  would  indicate. 
I  had  to  take  my  shoes  off  to  go  into  the  temple,  and  put  on  woolen  moccasins 
but  Nellie  merely  took  off  her  rubbers  w^hich  w^ere  accepted  as  shoes,  and  put  the 
overshoes  on.  It  rained  in  the  afternoon  but  in  spite  of  that  we  w^ent  into  the 
town  where  we  bought  a  kimono  and  obi  for  Marie  Louise. 

NIKKO,  SUNDAY.  October    19,    1919. 

We  had  a  wonderful  day.  We  started  at  9:00  A.  M.  and  went  by  motor 
partly  and  then  by  rickshaw  (with  two  extra  pushers  each)  to  Lake  Chugenzi, 
nine  miles  away  and  at  an  elevation  of  4,3  75  feet.  We  followed  the  Daira  river 
(a  small  stream)  from  Nikko  to  its  source  at  the  lake.  After  a  couple  of  miles 
the  road  is  cut  out  of  the  side  of  a  rocky  canyon  or  gorge  several  hundred  feet 
deep,  at  the  bottom  of  which  the  river  runs  boiling  and  foaming.  The  rocky 
sides  are  covered  with  a  dense  growth  of  underbrush  and  small  trees,  among 
which  are  maples,  oaks,  chestnuts,  birches,  azaleas,  etc.  At  this  season  the 
leaves  have  turned  to  a  riot  of  color;  from  green  through  every  intervening 
shade  to  yellow,  and  then  through  all  the  pinks  and  oranges  to  a  blood  red.  It 
is  a  sight  that  all  Japan  goes  to  see,  and  we  certainly  have  never  seen  it 
equalled.  The  road  was  crowded  w^ith  pedestrians,  sight-seers  coming  and 
going  from  and  to  the  lake,  w^hich  is  a  charming  sheet  of  w^ater  extending 
irregularly  seven  miles  by  two,  with  a  background  of  mountains.  The  day  was 
a  little  hazy  and  also  cold,  so  we  did  not  go  on  the  lake  but  after  a  good  lunch 
at  the  lakeside  hotel,  retraced  our  steps  and  got  back  to  the  hotel  by  4:00  o'clock, 
somewhat  cold  and  tired.  Again  we  noticed  the  large  parties  of  well  behaved 
school  children  with  their  teachers. 

At  6:00  o'clock  1  had  my  blind  masseur.  This  is  my  fifth  treatment  in 
Japan  and  I  can  see  an  improvement  in  the  condition  of  the  muscles  of  my  hand. 
Pritchard  called  by  appointment  for  tea,  but  I  was  upstairs  and  did  not  see  him. 
The  table  here  is  excellent.  The  house  is  almost  deserted,  the  crowd  evidently 
having  come  only  for  the  procession.     We  leave  in  the  morning  for  Tokyo. 


25 

People  have  told  us  that  we  ought  to  see  the  rest  of  Japan  first  and  lead 
up  to  Nikko  as  the  most  lovely.  It  certainly  is  a  beautiful  country.  The  high 
lights  are  the  Temple  of  Yeyazu;  the  avenue  of  cryptomeria  trees  and  the 
excursion  to  Lake  Chugenzi. 


N.S.O. 
TOKYO,  TUESDAY,  October  21,  1919. 

Yesterday  morning  we  started  hack  for  Tokyo,  arriving  at  3:33.  It  rained  all 
the  way  down  and  also  here,  and  when  we  reached  the  hotel  we  found  ourselves  in 
an  awful  room  without  a  hath  or  running  water  and  near  the  railroad  track.  We 
made  a  fuss  and  they  put  us  in  aiiother  room,  hetter  than  the  first  hut  without  a 
hath.  They  say  that  the  travel  is  so  great  that  it  is  impossible  to  do  hetter  for  us. 
The  tahle  is  excellent  here  and  in  fact  ever  since  we  landed  in  Yokohama  we  havd 
had  nothing  to  complain  of;  in  fact  at  Nikko  it  was  perfect.  We  hoth  say  we  have 
never  had  hetter  cooking  anywhere. 

I  have  just  come  upstairs  from  a  call  from  Mr.  Harry  Bowie,  and  he  was  so 
interesting  that  I  was  very  sorry  to  have  him  go.  His  life  here  is  certainly  fascinat- 
ing and  I  don't  wonder  he  likes  to  live  here.  He  told  of  the  special  honors  conferred 
upon  him  arid  of  his  acquaintances  among  the  S  ho  guns  and  hig  guns; — he  is  going  to 
take  Boh  on  Thursday  morning  and  present  him  to  the  officials  of  the  foreign  office. 
We  expect  to  see  a  lot  of  him  here  and  in  Kyoto.  He  often  sees  Harry's  cook  in 
Kyoto  and  is  going  to  give  us  a  dinner  in  the  restaurant  that  he  keeps  there. 


This  morning  I  called  at  the  embassy  with  Admiral  Grayson's  letter,  and 
have  an  appointment  to  meet  Ambassador  Morris  tomorrow  morning.  1  also 
took  and  left  at  their  several  destinations  letters  of  introduction  from  Rennie 
Schwerin  and  Mrs.  Delong.  The  first  answer  was  a  call  in  the  afternoon  from 
J.  Soyeda,  address  Kudan,  Tokyo,  a  prominent  banker,  one  of  those  who 
represented  Japan  at  the  Versailles  conference.  We  are  to  take  tea  at  his  house 
tomorrow  afternoon.  We  did  some  shopping  and  bought  an  electric  iron — also 
some  minor  articles.  Also  visited  the  store  of  the  culture  pearls  company  and 
may  visit  their  preserves  or  beds  later. 

In  the  evening  we  went  with  the  guide  to  a  moving  picture  show  to  see  an 
American  film  "The  Mortgaged  Wife".  The  audience  w^as  largely  Japanese 
and  there  w^as  a  "caller"  w^ho  explained  the  films  in  Japanese  for  their  benefit. 
The  loges  had  no  chairs  but  little  cushions  to  squat  on.  We  sat  back  of  them 
in  regular  chairs.  The  printed  explanations  of  the  films  were  in  English  as 
at  home.  It  w^as  a  very  sensational  story  and  the  audience  applauded  the  stirring 
parts. 

Mrs.  Chisholm  and  party  (Mrs.  Delong's  friend)  have  been  following  the  same 
line  of  travel  as  ours  and  we  meet  her  constantly.  Her  husband  formed  the 
International  Paper  Company.  She  has  sold  out  her  interest  in  this  company 
but  still  has  large  independent  paper  mills,  w^hich  her  son  manages.  She  keeps 
a  house  open  in  New  York  and  in  Portland,  Maine,  near  her  mills.  She  also 
has  an  estate  of  a  thousand  acres  near  Portchester,  Connecticut. 
Mailed  October  22,  1919. 
Received  at  San  Francisco  November   12,    1919. 

TOKYO,  WEDNESDAY,  October  22,  1919. 
Have  presented  letters  of  introduction  as  follows:      Roland  Stetson  Morris, 


26 

American  Embassador,  from  Admiral  Grayson;  R.  Asano,  President  T.K.K.  (son. 
of  S.  Asano),  from  R.  P.  Schwerin;  Baron  Iwasaki,  Mitsunishi  Company,  from 
R.  P.  Schwerin;  Baron  Kondo,  Nippon  Yunen  Kaisha,  from  R.  P.  Schwerin; 
Hon.  Juichi  Soyeda,  Banker,  from  R.  P.  Schwerin;  Viscount  Kaneko,  Imperial 
Councilor,    from   Mrs.    Delong. 


While  in  Nikko,  1  received  a  telegram  from  Yokohama  from  J.  A.  McGregor, 
our  friend  of  the  Union  Iron  Works,  saying  that  he  had  just  returned  from 
Kyoto  to  his  house.  No.  9  Bluff,  Yokohama;  regretted  having  missed  us  and 
hoped  we  would  return  to  Yokohama  so  that  he  could  do  something  for  us.  I 
was  surprised  to  learn  that  he  had  taken  a  house  at  Yokohama  as  1  thought  he 
was  only  travelling  through  the  Orient.  It  was  very  amiable  of  him  and  I  waa 
sorry  to  be  obliged  to  answer  that  we  would  not  go  back  to  Yokohama. 

This  morning  I  called  on  Embassador  Morris  and  had  three-quarters  of  an 
hour's  chat  with  him.  He  seems  a  very  intelligent  man;  one  of  the  several 
Philadelphia  Morris  families;  an  intimate  friend  of  President  Wilson,  whom  he 
has  known  since  he  was  seventeen,  having  been  under  him  at  Princeton.  Since 
Embassador  Francis  left  Russia,  this  has  been  added  to  his  responsibilities  and 
he  has  travelled  four  thousand  miles  in  Siberia.  I  was  much  interested  in  what 
he  had  to  say.  He  w^anted  us  to  dine  with  him  next  week  but  as  we  leave  day 
after  tomorrow  this  was  impossible.  His  time  is  all  filled  up  before  that.  He 
had  one  of  his  attaches,  Mr.  Atherton,  telephone  in  my  behalf  to  the  British  Vice 
Consul,  Mr.  Phipps,  and  through  this  influence  I  had  no  trouble  in  having  the 
British  visa  on  our  passports  for  Singapore,  Ceylon,  India  and  Port  Said.  This 
clears  the  way  for  Cook  to  get  the  steamship  accommodations,  Hongkong  to 
Singapore  and  Bombay  to  Port  Said,  which  his  agent  in  Yokohama  said  he  could 
do  if  I  got  the  visa.  This  was  corroborated  by  Cook's  office  auditor,  whom  I  just 
met  in  the  hotel  lobby. 

When  getting  our  passports  vised  before  starting,  I  did  not  know  how^ 
minutely  every  point  touched  must  be  specified.  Hence  this  trouble  in  part,  but 
only  in  part. 

TOKYO,  THURSDAY,  October  23,  1919. 
The  day  before  we  left  Yokohama,  we  met  in  the  hotel,  Mr.  H.  A.  Van 
Coenen  Torchiana,  the  consul  of  the  Netherlands  in  San  Francisco,  whom  we 
knew  through  some  of  the  Exposition  entertainments.  He  is  accompanied  by 
his  wife  and  a  friend.  Miss  Bump.  He  has  just  travelled  through  Java  and 
Sumatra  as  the  invited  guest  of  the  Governor  General.  He  gave  us  some  valuable 
letters  and  information.      He  was  sailing  for  home  last  Friday. 

Yesterday  afternoon  we  had  tea  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Juichi  Soyeda.  Hia 
two  daughters  were  present  but  his  wife  excused  herself  on  the  plea  of  a  cold. 
The  daughters  were  aged  thirty  and  seventeen,  the  latter  exceedingly  pretty. 
We  also  saw  two  young  children  of  another  daughter.  He  has  retired  from 
business  except  as  to  the  ownership  and  editorship  of  the  largest  Japanese  native 
paper  of  the  country.  He  is  a  very  intelligent  and  most  interesting  man, 
speaking  English  with  considerable  fluency.  The  Japanese  women,  even  down 
to  shop  girls  and  servants,  seem  exceedingly  bashful  and  w^e  could  not  get  a 
word   of   English   out   of   the   daughters,    though    they   are   supposed   to    speak    it. 

This  morning  we  moved  into  the  parlor,  bedroom  and  bath  vacated  by  Mrs. 
Chisholm — a   great  improvement. 

Mr.   Asano's   secretary   called   to    invite    us    to    lunch   with   his   principal   to- 


27 

morrow,  but  as  we  had  invited  Harry  Bowie  we  had  to  decline.  This  ends  the 
Asano  episode. 

Baron  Iwasaki  was  out  of  town  and  sent  his  secretary  to  invite  us  to  lunch 
on  Saturday,  but  we  leave  in  the  morning.  He  also  placed  his  automobile  and 
his  secretary  at  our  disposal  for  sight  seeing,  etc.  1  arranged  for  tomorrow  to 
visit  his  finest  villa,  said  to  have  a  wonderful  garden;  but  we  will,  therefore,  not 
meet   him   either. 

I  went  this  morning  with  Harry  Bowie  to  the  Foreign  office.  The  Secretary 
of  State,  Mr.  Hara  (the  premier),  was  out  but  we  called  on  Viscount  Uchida, 
Minister  of  Foreign  affairs,  who  received  us  very  cordially.  He  seems  a  very 
intelligent  and  able  man,  who  speaks  English  perfectly.  He  is  giving  an  evening 
reception  on  the  31st,  in  honor  of  the  Emperor's  birthday,  and  we  may  decide 
to  come  back  here  for  it  from  Myanoshita   (only  two  hours  by  rail). 

On  returning  to  the  hotel  we  met  in  the  lobby,  Mr.  Steele  of  the  T.  K.  K. 
and  asked  him  to  lunch  with  us. 

After  lunch  we  first  went  to  a  great  popular  celebration  for  the  commence- 
ment of  the  erection  of  a  temple  dedicated  to  the  Japanese  who  have  fallen  in  the 
last  war.  The  crowd  was  immense  and,  with  their  wooden  clogs,  kicked  up 
such  a  dust  that  Nellie  soon  w^ent  back  to  the  motor.  The  guide  and  1  saw  the 
sights  offered  free  to  the  crow^d;  sacred  dancing,  spear  dancing,  wrestling,  etc. 
Then  in  the  motor  through  Ueno  Park  to  the  Imperial  Theatre  where  we  had 
secured  box  seats.  The  three  plays  composing  the  program  last  from  4:00  to 
10:00  P.  M.  We  stayed  about  an  hour  and  saw  part  of  an  old  historical  drama. 
The  costumes  were  gorgeous  and  one  scene,  representing  dancing  before  a  noble 
lady,  was  a  wonderful  picture.  The  Japanese  dance  with  their  bodies,  arms 
and  hands,  instead  of  with  their  feet.  The  women's  roles  are  all  played  by  men. 
It  was  crowded  although  most  people  go  after  dinner.  On  returning  to  the  hotel 
about  5:30,  we  found  the  card  of  Viscount  Kentaro  Kaneko,  privy  councilor  to 
his  Majesty,  who  is  Mrs.  Delong's  friend,  and  also  that  of  Guillermo  L.  Aguirre, 
Charge*  d'Affaires  of  Argentina,  for  whom  I  had  a  letter  from  Mr.  Summers. 
As  our  time  is  so  short  w^e  may  not  meet  them  either. 

I  had  my  regular  massage,  and  I  feel  that  the  muscles  of  my  fingers  and 
shoulder  are  improving  steadily. 


N.S.O. 

Our  guide  and  maid  are  proving  excellent;  the  former  is  so  attentive  and  does 
everything  with  so  much  executive  ability  that  we  have  nothing  to  do  hut  follow 
him  and  everything  is  perfect.  The  maid  is  the  most  gentle,  unobtrusive  person 
and  waits  on  us  both  as  if  we  were  children,  and  has  a  most  pleasing  personality. 
Altogether  we  are  as  luxurious  and  comfortable  as  we  could  possibly  be.  The  maid 
is  constantly  washing  handkerchiefs,  stockings,  etc.,  so  we  do  not  have  much  soiled 
linen  around. 

As  we  could  not  lunch  with  Baron  and  Baroness  Iwasaki  tomorrow  we  were 
taken  to  their  villa  here,  where  they  have  thirty  acres  in  the  center  of  Tokyo  and 
the  most  beautiful  garden  you  could  picture  to  yourself.  They  have  two  houses  in 
the  grounds,  one  European  and  the  other  Japanese;  the  former  is  a  horror  in  the 
way  of  architecture  and  furnishings,  but  the  latter  is  simply  lovely — entirely  carried 
out  in  the  style  of  the  country  and  so  appropriate.  The  secretary  who  took  us  there 
is  going  to  send  a  photograph  of  it  and  so  I  will  not  go  into  any  more  description 
of  it. 

The  Embassador  from  the  Argentine,  Mr.  Guillermo  L.  Aguirre,  called  on  us 


28 

today.  Mr.  Summers  gave  Robert  a  letter  to  him  hut  addressed  it  to  Kobe,  so  Boh 
did  not  send  it  to  him  hut  he  heard  we  were  here  and  came  to  call.  He  is  very 
attractive,  speaks  English  with  an  accent  and  is  very  polite  and  agreeable.  He  said 
that  one  of  the  things  he  came  to  see  if  he  could  do  for  us  was  to  ask  us  if  we  did 
not  want  to  go  to  the  hall  that  Viscount  Uchida  was  giving  in  honor  of  the 
Emperor's  birthday.  We  told  him  we  already  had  an  invitation  and  he  said  it  would 
be  of  the  greatest  interest  to  us  to  see,  as  all  the  most  important  people  of  Japan 
would  he  present;  the  Emperor  would  not  he  there  hut  the  Crown  Prince  would,' 
so  we  are  coming  hack  from  Myanoshita  for  it.  We  also  are  going  to  dine  with 
Baron  Iwasaki  and  lunch  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Aguirre.  Mr.  Aguirre  was  a  com- 
missioner from  the  Argentine  under  Mr.  Anasagasti  during  the  Exposition  and  lived 
in  San  Francisco  for  two  years.  While  there  he  became  acquainted  with  the  Diblee 
family  and  knows  them  all  intimately. 


The  Iwasaki  family  has  one  of  the  two  or  three  great  fortunes  of  Japan. 
The  founder  was  somewhat  obscure  and  of  moderate  means  at  the  time  of  the 
restoration  (1867).  When  the  Satsuma  rebellion  occurred  he  was  in  the  steam- 
ship business  and  rendered  important  services  to  the  State,  that  brought  him 
riches  and  the  title  of  Baron.  Their  interests  are  very  varied.  Under  separately 
formed  corporations,  they  own  large  steamship  lines,  shipbuilding  and  engineer- 
ing works,  gold  and  silver  mines,  coal  mines,  landed  estates,  large  improved 
real  estate  holdings  in  Tokyo,  etc.  He  ow^ns  city  and  country  homes  all  over 
Japan.  I  asked  his  secretary  how  many  homes  he  had  and  the  answer  w^as 
that  he  did  not  know  and  he  doubted  if  the  Baron  himself  could  tell  off  hand. 
There  are  tw^o  Barons  Iwasaki,  cousins,  and  as  usual  in  Japan  the  elder  retired 
comparatively  early  in  life  in  favor  of  the  younger,  as  commercial  head,  to  devote 
himself  to  study  and  the  management  of  his  separate  fortune.  I  hope  I  shall 
meet  him,  although  I  find  that  in  short  interviews  it  is  very  difficult  to  get  from 
people  the  information  and  data  that  interest  me. 

TOKYO,  FRIDAY,  October  24,   1919. 

We  had  invited  Harry  Bowie  to  lunch  today  but  received  a  note  saying  that 
he  had  taken  a  cold  and,  as  he  had  a  lecture  to  deliver  the  next  day,  he  did  not 
dare  to  go  out.  He  urged  us  strongly  to  return  for  the  Uchida  ball,  which  he 
will  attend,  and  which  we  had  already  decided  to   do. 

I  find  that  some  of  the  events  described  above  under  yesterday's  date,  took 
place  today.  In  the  evening  we  packed  what  we  needed  for  the  Myanoshita 
trip  into  our  suit  cases  and  checked  our  trunks  with  the  hotel  until  our  return. 

TOKYO  TO  MYANOSHITA,  Saturday,  October  25,  1919. 
Started  at  8:00  A.M.  from  hotel  and  8:30  A.M.  from  station,  via  Yoko- 
hama, for  Kodzu,  whence  an  hour  by  motor  brought  us  to  the  Fugiya  Hotel, 
Myanoshita,  a  little  after  eleven.  The  country  traversed  is  broken  and  hilly,  w^ood- 
ed  and  beautiful,  like  the  environs  of  Yokohama  and  unlike  the  great  plain  between 
Nikko  and  Tokyo.  The  level  valleys  between  the  hills  are  intensively  cultivated 
in  very  small  fields,  mostly  in  rice,  and  the  hills  are  often  terraced  for  cultiva- 
tion far  up  the  slopes.  This  section  having  plenty  of  rainfall,  the  rice  fields 
are  irrigated  by  simply  diking  around  each  field  and  drawing  the  water  as 
necessary  from  one  field  to  another  lying  lower.  Even  on  the  flat  the  fields 
are  terraced  up  to  different  levels  to  permit  this  utilizing  of  the  water  over  again. 
I  am  told  that  in  sections  of  lighter  rainfall,  artificial  irrigation  by  ditches  and 
flumes  is  practiced.  The  Hydrographic  map  of  Japan  is  divided  into  areas  of 
precipitation   showing    40   inches   or   less,    40    inches   to    60    inches,    60   inches  to 


29 

80  inches,  80  inches  to  100  inches,  100  to  120  inches,  120  inches  and  over. 
While  the  higher  figures  are  for  mountainous  sections,  Japan  is  a  land  of  much 
rain,  particularly  in  April  to  October. 

This  hotel  is  the  most  attractive  and  best  that  we  have  found  so  far.  Room 
large,  light,  airy  and  clean,  v^rith  bath;  table  excellent.  The  management  is  in 
the  hands  of  the  same  family  as  at  Nikko,  but  this  is  better.  The  landlady,  Mrs. 
Yamanuchi,  is  exceedingly  charming;  speaks  English  perfectly;  has  travelled 
in  the  United  States.  Her  father  was  an  old  friend  of  Harry  Bowie.  Mrs. 
Chisolm  was  here  ahead  of  us  and  several  other  fellow  passengers.  Although  I 
have  not  mentioned  it,  we  had  considerable  rain  in  Tokyo,  and  here  also  it  has 
rained  even  more  and  interrupted  the  mountain  excursions. 

After  lunch  we  went  by  rickshaws  to  Gora  Park  near  here,  of  very  moderate 
interest,  though  the  road  to  it  is  up  the  deep  gorge  of  a  river  and  w^as  very 
beautiful.  The  altitude  (1200  feet)  being  less  than  Nikko,  the  foliage  is  not  as 
advanced — the  colors  not  nearly  so  vivid,  but  more  like  pastel  and  very  pretty 
for  a  change. 

Before  dinner  1  had  massage  as  usual.      This  time  a   man  who  is  not  blind. 

MYANOSHITA,  SUNDAY,  October  26,    1919. 

By  motor  eight  miles  to  Lake  Hakone,  where  we  had  lunch.  Then  by 
motor  boat  across  the  lake,  where  chairs  and  porters  (four  to  a  chair)  were 
waiting.  A  stiff  climb  of  a  thousand  feet  to  the  top  of  a  hill  called  "big  hell", 
on  account  of  sulphur  deposits  emitting  highly  charged  fumes  from  underground 
fires  and  boiling  springs.  Then  back  to  the  hotel  by  chairs.  All  this  with  the 
object  of  seeing  Fujiyama  from  various  positions.  But  the  day  was  cloudy  and 
windy,  and  the  top  of  Fuji  was  generally  wholly  or  partly  hidden.  The  motion 
of  the  chair  is  like  a  hard  gaited  saddle  horse;  the  slopes  ascending  and  descend- 
ing very  steep  and  slippery  from  last  night's  rain,  and  altogether  the  trip  was 
very  hard  on  Nellie,  who  vows  that  she  will  take  no  more  excursions  where 
chairs  are  obligatory,  owing  to  absence  of  roads  practicable  for  rickshaws. 
Nellie  has  developed  a  patient  endurance  of  the  minor  inconveniences  of  travel 
in  the  Orient  for  which  1  have  given  her  the  nickname  of  Mrs.  "Mark  Tapley". 
I  hate  to  insult  my  readers  but  at  Nellie's  strong  suggestion  I  will  add,  that  the 
reference  is  to  one  of  Dicken's  characters  noted  for  cheerfulness  under  adversity. 

We  were  sorry  to  receive  here  on  the  twenty-fifth  a  wireless  from  the 
Wilsons  saying  that  they  had  been  unable  to   secure  a   stateroom. 

On  our  way  home  1  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  my  first  Japanese  pig, 
tethered  by  the  roadside.  He  was  a  young  shoat  three  to  four  months  old,  of 
very  fair  Berkshire  conformation,   but  white. 

MYANOSHITA,  MONDAY,  October  27,   1919. 

This  is  a  pretty,  quiet,  mountain  resort,  without  anything  but  natural 
beauties  to  see.  Not  at  all  strenuous  and  therefore  restful.  We  went  this 
morning  by  rickshaws  to  the  "waterfall  of  a  Thousand  Threads",  which,  as  the 
name  implies,  is  a  steep  mossy  bank  down  which  the  water  trickles  in  number- 
less tiny  streams. 

in  the  afternoon  we  motored  up  to  a  valley,  some  eight  miles,  past  the 
golf  links,  through  a  tunnel,  on  coming  out  of  which  a  beautiful,  unclouded  view 
of  Fuji  burst  upon  us. 

In  the  evenings  we  generally  talk  with  Mrs.  Chisholm,  Miss  Farr,  her  com- 
panion and  friend  (a  trained  nurse)  and  Mr.  Kelley,  her  conductor,  one  of  the 
Raymond  and  Whitcomb  men  and  a  gentleman.     They  always  eat  together.     Miss 


30 

Farr  nursed  Mrs.  Fitzhugh  and  her  daughter  in  New  York  and  came  to  San 
Francisco  with  them,  spending  some  months  there.  She  has  travelled  in  the 
Orient  before  and  spent  several  months  in  the  Philippines,  reorganizing  the 
hospital  on  one  of  the  southern  Islands. 

Visited  a  couple  of  curio  shops  but  nothing  appealed  to  us  much.  Some 
of  the  colored  wood-cuts  were  very  fine,  but  very  dear,  as  was  everything  of 
any  merit. 

MYANOSHITA,  TUESDAY.  October  28,   1919. 
I  found  that  I  had  a  slight  cold  and  stayed  indoors,   as  I  am  anxious  to  be 
well  for  the  reception  at  Tokyo.     Anyhow,  there  is  not  anything  of  transcendent 
interest  left  for  us  to  see  here. 

MYANOSHITA,  WEDNESDAY.  October  29,  1919. 
I  am  out  again  and  loafing  around.  We  looked  over  the  register  of  the 
hotel  for  1 908  to  see  if  Mr.  Stetson,  Nellie's  father,  had  been  here.  We  found 
the  name  of  Mrs.  Dohrman  and  also  Mr.  Clayton  and  Mrs.  Fitzgerald.  The 
landlady  says  they  were  with  Mrs.  Dohrman  but  their  names  are  not  familiar. 
Probably  Mr.  Stetson  could  not  spare  the  time  owing  to  some  public  reception 
to  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  party.  Nellie  just  reminds  me  that  Mr.  Clayton, 
manager  of  Spreckels'  interests  in  San  Diego,  told  her  that  he  w^as  with  her 
father  on   that  trip. 

We  received  a  cable,  or  rather  wireless,  from  the  Wilsons  saying  "Sailing 
Korea   Monday,  arrive  Yokohama    1 3th,   leave  instructions". 

Our  itinerary  calls  for  leaving  Kyoto  on  the  1 4th  for  Kobe  and  then  by 
rail  to  Shimonoseki,  w^here  we  cross  to  Korea.  We  w^ill  wait  for  the  Wilsons 
at  Kyoto  and  cut  off  the  necessary  time  from  Kobe  which  is  not  very  interesting. 
What  worries  us  is  that,  unless  the  Wilsons  plan  to  visit  Japan  on  the  way  back 
from  Shanghai,  they  will  practically  not  see  it  at  all.  What  I  would  advise  them 
to  do  is  to  stop  over  one  steamer  in  Japan  on  the  way  back;  or  better  still,  if 
they  have  time,  go  to  Manila  with  us,  then  back  via  Hongkong  and  Japan  as 
above.  The  difficulty  will  be  to  secure  the  necessary  steamer  accommodations 
at  short  notice.  I  will  have  Cook  deliver  a  letter  on  the  steamer  to  Mountford 
suggesting  all  this. 

We  leave  in   the  morning   for  Tokyo  at   8:50,   arriving  there  before   lunch. 

We   could  nicely   have   cut  off   two   days  from   our   stay   here   and  used  the 
time  elsewhere.     We  will  know  better  on  our  second  trip  around  the  world. 
(Mailed  October  29th). 

TOKYO,  THURSDAY,  October  30,    1919. 

Leaving  Myanoshita  in  the  morning  at  8:50,  we  motored  down  to  Kodzu 
to  take  the  train  for  Tokyo.  Owing  to  my  cold,  we  had  the  sides  of  the  car  up, 
w^hich  prevented  us  from  getting  the  beautiful  view  down  the  valley  to  sea  level. 
The  foliage  however  has  not  assumed  the  brilliant  tints  of  Nikko.  On  the  way 
down  we  passed  an  orange  packing  plant.  The  variety  is  like  our  Mandarins. 
The  fruit  is  dumped  from  carts  on  a  mat  and  sorted  by  Japanese  girls  by  hand, 
into  baskets,  dividing  them  into  three  sizes.  They  are  wonderfully  quick  at 
the  work.  The  larger  size  is  flat  like  the  ordinary  mandarin  and  is  packed  in 
layers  on  the  edge  into  boxes  a  little  smaller  than  ours;  also  half  boxes — no 
wrapping.  The  two  smaller  sizes  are  more  round  and  are  just  dumped  into  the 
boxes.      The  fruit  is  not  fully  colored  when  packed. 

At  the  hotel  we  met  Donald  MacDonald,  formerly  of  Scotia  and  still  con- 
nected  with    that   lumber    interest.      He    had   the    grip    so   badly    last   winter   and 


31 

spring  that  he  took  this  trip  to  the  Orient  to  recuperate.  He  has  been  travelling 
alone  and  has  not  enjoyed  it  much,  apparently  taking  very  little  interest  in  the 
temples,  art,  etc.  of  the  Orient.  At  Shanghai  he  got  acquainted  with  some  nice 
English  people  and  stayed  six  weeks  and  this  was  the  bright  side  of  his  ex- 
perience. He  lunched  with  us  and  gave  us  a  letter  to  his  best  friend  in  Shanghai. 
The  Americans  there  he  found  very  ordinary  and  uninteresting.  I  think  this  is 
apt  to  be  the  case  in  foreign  parts  generally,  as  the  Americans  that  emigrate 
are  not  generally  of  the  same  class  as  the  English.  He  leaves  for  home  next 
week. 

While  in  Myanoshita  we  had  received  a  telegraphic  invitation  from  the 
"Secretary  of  Baron  Iwasaki  to  dine  with  him  on  the  afternoon  of  our  arrival, 
at  5 :00  P.M.  We  thought  this  meant  with  the  Baron  and  accepted,  but  it 
turned  out  that  the  Baron  was  away  (or  supposedly  so)  and  the  Secretary  and 
the  General  Manager  of  the  firm  were  our  hosts.  As  their  arrangements  were 
all  made,  we  accepted  the  situation  gracefully  as  being  "pro  more  Japonico", 
and  they  took  us  to  one  of  the  famous  tea  houses  of  the  city  and  gave  us  a  grand 
Japanese  banquet.  The  hosts  sat  on  cushions  and  we  were  given,  as  a  con- 
cession to  our  being  foreigners,  a  little  stool  each  to  sit  on.  The  food  w^as  served 
in  little  individual  dishes  on  small  stands  in  front  of  each  person.  We  drank 
sake  in  tiny  cups,  tea  and  French  sauterne,  (also  a  concession  I  suppose)  and 
we  were  toasted  and  urged  to  drink  frequently.  The  food  consisted  of  some 
twelve  to  fifteen  courses;  fish,  flesh  and  fowl — sweet,  sour  and  pickled — cooked 
and  raw — red,  white  and  black — hot  and  cold — everything  we  could  think  of 
and  some  things  we  had  never  thought  of.  The  hosts  partook  freely  of  everything, 
and  while  we  defended  ourselves  as  well  as  we  could,  I  must  have  eaten  a  little 
of  about  one-half  of  the  courses,  under  amiable  urging.  Unfortunately  I  did 
not  read  until  two  days  later  in  Chamberlain's  book  that  foreigners  were  warned 
not  to  drink  sake  and  w^ine  at  the  same  meal. 

We  were  waited  upon  and  faced  on  the  floor,  in  addition  to  the  regular 
waitresses,  by  seven  or  eight  Geisha  girls — four  very  young  (about  fifteen)  in 
most  brilliant  costumes  (the  dancers)  and  the  others  a  few  years  older  and 
soberly  garbed  (the  musicians — God  save  the  mark).  Also  there  was  an  im- 
personator who  squatted  in  front  of  us  and  from  the  basket  at  his  side  drew  out 
costumes,  wigs,  beards,  etc.  and  gave  imitations  of  endless  personages; — ^Admiral 
Togo,  President  Wilson,  many  other  celebrities,  including  old  women  and  girls, 
all  the  while  chattering  a  monologue  very  amusing  to  all  concerned  except  our- 
selves. Then  the  little  Geishas  danced  and  played  and  sang  (if  you  don't  care 
what  you  say)  and  finally  another  Geisha  dancer,  said  to  be  the  most  celebrated 
in  Tokyo,  appeared  and  danced — or  you  might  better  say  "postured" — a  "pas 
seul".  Even  though  we  know  nothing  of  Japanese  dancing,  we  could  tell  that 
this  was  high  art. 

We  were  driven  back  to  the  hotel  at  eight,  and  at  half  past  eight,  while  I  was 
having  massage,  I  began  to  hiccough  and  continued  at  long  and  frequent  in- 
tervals for  twenty-four  hours.  Sake,  tea  and  sauterne,  raw  fish  and  queerly 
formed  fungi  vs.  an  effete  American  stomach  !  !  !  1  took  the  count — and  not 
merely  for  ten  seconds.      It  was  a  square  knock  out.     NEVER  AGAIN. 

TOKYO,  FRIDAY,  October  31,  1919. 

In  the  morning  I  had  Doctor  Mann,  of  St.  Luke's  Hospital,  a  Virginian,  and 
he  said  it  was  nothing  serious,  giving  as  corroborative  evidence,  that  his  father 
once  had  hiccoughed  continuously  for  twelve  days  and  died  long  after  at  the 
ripe  age  of  seventy-five.      He  thought  that  I  would  be  able  to  go  to  the  ball  that 


32 

evening  but  I  did  not  feel  up  to  it  and  thought  it  more  prudent  to  stay  quietly 
in  bed  in  the  company  of  the  faithful  Saku. 

We  had  invited  Harry  Bowie  to  dine  with  us  and  go  to  the  ball  together. 
On  the  last  day  MacDonald  also  managed  to  get  an  invitation,  so  Mrs.  Oxnard 
had  two  beaux  to  dinner  and  ball,  while  her  poor  old  husband  lay  neglected  on 
his  bed  of  pain  in  the  care  of  a  hired  menial.  I  will  leave  to  her  to  describe 
the  party. 

TOKYO,  SATURDAY,  November  1,  1919. 
By  previous  appointment  Doctor  Mann  called  but  there  was  nothing  for  him 
to  do  but  give  ten  yen  worth  of  good  advice.  I  cancelled  out  of  precaution  a 
lunch  engagement  that  we  had  with  the  Aguirres  at  their  home  in  the  legation. 
Nellie  had  met  Mrs.  A.  at  the  ball  and,  as  she  does  not  speak  a  word  of  English, 
it  would  have  been  too  much  of  an  ordeal  for  her  to  go  alone.  In  the  afternoon 
we  visited  Mr.  Asano's  Japanese  home  (he  has  an  American  one  next  door  where 
he  lives)  and  found  it  very  attractive  but  furnished  with  a  mixture  of  beautiFiil 
Japanese  things  and  ordinary  foreign  ones.  We  also  saw  Count  Okura's  fine 
collection  of  Japanese  and   Chinese  art  and  antiquities. 

It  rains  steadily  here  about  half  of  the  time.  We  are  wondering  when  we 
shall  get  the  home  mail  by  the  steamer  leaving  October  1 6th,  which  has  had 
time  to  arrive  several  days  ago. 

TOKYO  TO  KYOTO,  November  2,    1919. 

Started  at  8:30  by  the  express  that  runs  across  the  Island  east  to  west  from 
Tokyo  to  Shimonoseki.  It  carries  sleeping  compartments  and  reaches  Kyoto 
at  7:30  P.  M.  We  had  our  regular  seats  in  the  large  central  compartment  of 
the  last  car,  but  preempted  two  seats  in  the  observation  car,  where  it  is  first 
come  first  served;  and  we  occupied  these  all  the  way,  leaving  our  regular  seats, 
to  others.  This  may  have  been  by  arrangement  of  Tominaga.  The  diner  for 
lunch  and  tea  w^as  not  bad. 

Next  to  us  was  seated  a  lady  with  whom  Nellie  got  into  conversation,  and 
she  turned  out  to  be  Mrs.  Col.  Burnette,  wife  of  the  American  Military  attache*, 
a  friend  of  Harry  Bowie,  who  had  tried  to  find  an  occasion  to  introduce  her  to 
Nellie  at  the  ball.  She  has  been  in  Japan  several  times  and  has  made  a  study  of 
Japanese  which  she  speaks  fluently.  She  worked  five  years  under  the  patronage 
of  the  late  Empress,  translating  some  Japanese  classics  into  English,  and  was 
decorated  for  this  work.  She  was  on  her  way  to  Kyoto  to  attend  some  funeral 
ceremony  for  the  late  Emperor,  to  which  she  had  been  invited  to  accompany  the 
sister-in-law  of  the  present  Empress.  Like  Bow^ie,  she  is  persona  grata  with  the 
Japanese.  Her  husband,  who  saw  one  and  a  half  year's  service  in  France  on 
Pershing's  staff,  was  slated  for  a  good  military  detail  in  Belgium,  but  the  Japanese 
government  asked  that  he  be  sent  here.  She  showed  us  the  original  of  a  piece 
of  poetry,  dedicated  to  her  by  Viscount  Kaneko,  of  which  the  following  is  a 
translation: 

AN  APPRECIATION. 
September   20,    1919. 

"When  night  o'ershadows,  and  familiar  paths  grow  strange, 
"Even  one  faithful  light,  within  the  darkness  gleaming, 
"May  prove  fear's  nothingness." 


33 

This  is  a  translation  of  her  Japanese  reply: 

"Voices  surge  about  m© 

(Cold,  cold  the  wind  sweeps  o'er  me) 
'Whence  come  they*,  I  cry! 

Answers    my   heart,    Trom    round    the   world   but    echo    the    storms   of 

war.*  ** 

—FRANCES  HAWKS  CAMERON  BURNETT. 

The  country  we  traversed  is  beautiful,  hilly  and  broken  with  mountains  in 
the  background,  while  frequently  the  train  runs  along  the  ocean.  Rice  every- 
where  fields   generally  very   small,    and   where   apparently  larger,    really   sublet 

to  tenants  in  patches  averaging  perhaps  one  acre  apiece.  I  was  told  by  Secretary 
Hedishima  that  good  rice  lands  are  now  worth  $2000.00  an  acre!  There  is  no 
doubt  about  his  having  made  the  statement  as  I  made  him  check  back  his  figures 
closely.  Only  20%  of  the  land  is  arable  in  Japan  and,  as  the  population  increases 
800,000  yearly,  you  cannot  blame  them  for  wanting  colonies.  Almost  all  the 
resident  foreigners  that  we  have  talked  to  dislike  the  Japanese.  My  superficial 
acquaintance  w^ith  them  has  been  favorable. 

On  reaching  the  hotel,  Nellie  was  disappointed  that  we  could  not  get  rooms 
on  the  ground  floor  as  promised.  She  has  developed  a  cold,  probably  caught 
from  me,  and  feels  pretty  miserable.  We  at  last  got  two  rooms  and  a  bath  that 
are  comfortable  and  only  one  flight  up. 

I  would  suggest  to  our  relatives  and  friends  that  in  writing  us  they  enclose 
a  few  clippings  of  interesting  newspaper  articles  that  may  appear  from  time  to 
time.  Cut  them  out  from  day  to  day  and  mail  when  you  write,  or  occasionally. 
The  news  published  in  the  Japanese  papers  as  to  conditions  industrially  in  the 
United  States  is  most  alarming. 

KYOTO,  MONDAY,  November  3,    1919. 

Nellie  feels  pretty  sick;  it  is  not  serious  but  very  uncomfortable.  We  went 
up  this  morning  to  the  Myako  Hotel  on  the  hill,  and  while  the  rooms  are  not 
up  to  date,  the  location  makes  it  much  more  desirable.  All  the  people  we  know 
seem  to  go  there.  We  hope  to  get  suitable  accommodations  and  change  in  a 
couple  of  days.  On  the  way  back  inspected  a  damascene  factory.  The  work  is 
interesting  and  beautiful  but  the  prices  very  high. 

On  reaching  the  hotel  Nellie  went  to  bed  and  only  had  a  little  bouillon  for 
lunch.  She  got  up  for  dinner  but  ate  very  little.  She  feels  rather  better  tonight 
and  I  hope  that  next  morning  will  find  her  much  better.  In  the  afternoon  I 
went  alone  (with  Tominaga)  to  a  school  of  ju-juitsu  (wrestling  largely)  and 
singlestick  fencing.  It  was  largely  attended  and  interesting.  While  this  is  a 
private  school,  these  exercises  form  part  of  the  public  school  curriculum — a  very 
good  thing  as  it  develops  strength,  skill  and  manliness. 
Mailed   November   4,    1919. 


N.S.O. 
Before  this  diary  is  mailed  I  want  to  write  about  the  big  ball  I  attended  with 
Mr.  Bowie  and  Mr.  MacDonald.  There  were  many  people — the  papers  reported  two 
thousand  but  the  additions  put  on  to  the  main  house  were  so  large  that  it  was  not 
crowded.  Only  two  Japanese  ladies  appeared  in  European  clothes — they  were  the 
hostess,  Viscountess  Uchida  and  the  Imperial  Princess  Yuneashita.  They  are  both 
very  good  looking  women  and  did  not  look  at  all  badly  in  foreign  dress.  They  both 
wore  diamond  tiaras  and  many  pearls  and  diamonds. 


34 

It  is  the  custom  of  the  Japanese  women  to  wear  kimonos  of  a  dark  colored 
crepe — dark  brown,  black,  dark  blue  or  purple,  with  a  hand-printed  pattern  or  design 
of  some  sort  at  the  bottom  of  the  robe.  The  great  ornament  of  the  costume  is  the 
obi,  which  is  most  beautiful  and  expensive,  and  generally  of  bright  colors. 

Some  quite  young  girls  were  in  brighter  colored  kimonos  a7id  equally  bright 
obis,  but  they  were  the  exception.  I  was  very  much  surprised  at  this  as  I  had  always 
understood  that  they  wore  kimonos  of  beautiful  embroidery  and  bright  colors.  The 
bright  colors  are  only  worn  by  Geishas. 

The  main  house  was  built  in  European  style  and  I  think  by  a  French  architect, 
but  the  added  pavilions  were  decorated  in  true  Japanese^European  taste,  which  is 
nothing  to  speak  of.  The  supper  room  was  lovely  as  they  had  brought  in  a  lot  of 
large  trees  and  fastened  on  the  branches  cherry  blossoms  of  paper  flowers,  and  the 
effect  was  really  lovely.  To  open  the  entertainment  of  the  evening.  Viscount  Uchida 
led  in  the  Imperial  Princess,  followed  by  the  Prince  with  the  Viscountess,  and  then 
the  whole  diplomatic  corps  and  their  attaches  in  their  various  uniforms.  All  the 
Japanese  Generals,  Admirals,  etc.  came  in  uniform  and  with  decorations  until  you 
could  not  rest. 

You  can  picture  to  your  miiid  the  brilliant  sight  it  was.  From  the  appearance 
of  the  army  and  navy,  as  well  as  private  citizens,  it  seems  as  though  the  Emperor 
decorates  them  with  great  ease. 

There  was  a  life  sized  framed  photograph  of  the  Emperor  that  was  placed  in  a 
very  conspicuous  place,  profusely  decorated  with  greens  and  in  front  of  it  many 
pots  of  chrysanthemums.  Every  time  any  one  passed  it  they  would  stand  still  and 
bow.  This  was  done  by  Europeans  as  well  as  Japanese.  I  did  not  see  any  of  the 
Japanese  ladies  dancing,  although  we  had  heard  that  they  did  so. 

The  table  manners  of  the  Japanese  are  not  what  we  have  been  taught  is  proper, 
and,  when  supper  was  announced,  the  scramble  for  places  and  the  devouring  of  food 
by  these  people  was  astonishing.  This  did  not  matter  to  our  party  as  we 
left  as  soon  as  we  could  after  the  announcement,  but  if  we  had  not  planned  to 
do  so  we  would  not  have  been  able  to  get  a  seat.  My  only  regret  was  that  Bob 
could  not  have  been  there  for  he  had  been  looking  forward  to  it  for  over  a  week. 

He  recovered  fro7n  his  indigestion  the  next  day,  but  of  course  too  late.  I  want 
to  say  right  here  that  his  health  was  never  better  and  his  arm  is  improving  all  the 
time.    He  has  massage  every  day  and  it  is  keeping  him  in  the  best  of  condition. 

The  climate  of  Japan,  as  we  have  found  it,  is  very  damp  and  cold,  and  we 
have  had  more  rainy  weather  than  sunshine.  We  have  both  had  colds  but  are  ovet 
them  now  and  perhaps  our  constitutions  will  become  accustomed  to  the  climate. 


KYOTO.  TUESDAY,  November  4,  1919. 
Raining,  but  we  went  out  in  a  limousine  to  see  some  of  the  sights,  among 
others  the  famous  art  store  of  Yamanaka  &  Company,  with  branches  in  London, 
New  York  and  Boston.  It  is  the  most  wonderful  thing  of  its  kind  that  w^e  have 
ever  seen  and  fully  as  interesting  as  any  museum;  in  fact  more  so,  as  the  things 
are  shown  and  presented  to  you  in  a  more  attractive  way.  There  are  two 
buildings  filled  with  the  most  beautiful  objects  of  art  that  one  connects  with  the 
Orient,  and  the  capital  locked  up  in  their  inventory  must  run  into  millions  of 
yen.  I  must  mention  that,  owing  to  the  great  rise  in  wages,  modern  things  in 
Japan  cost  more  than  ancient,  but  still  they  continue  to  manufacture  and  find 
buyers.  One  modern  gold  lacquer  cabinet  at  Yamanaka's  was  priced  to  us  at 
25,000  yen — but  we  passed  it  up. 


35 

During  this  day  and  the  next  we  visited  several  shops;  old  brocades,  etc., 
and  factories  where  we  saw  the  processes  of  making  damascene  w^ork,  orna- 
mented bronze  work,  cloisonne,  etc.  We  also  visited  several  temples,  among 
them  the  Chionin,  the  most  impressive  in  its  massiveness  as  that  at  Nikko  was 
the  most  beautiful.  Its  many  separate  buildings  are  emplaced  on  the  slope  of  a 
hill,  and  among  old  pine  and  other  trees.  Fair  sized  crowds  of  natives  are  met 
visiting  all  these  temples,  and  chanting  priests  are  performing  their  offices  in 
them. 

Nellie's  cold  hangs  on  in  a  way  to  make  her  uncomfortable,  although  not 
serious  enough  to  prevent  her  going  around.  No  mail  received  yet  since  Sallie's 
one  letter.  The  tone  of  the  dispatches  regarding  the  labor  situation  at  home  is 
increasingly  serious. 

We  are  taking  things  quietly  and  restfuUy.  Start  out  in  the  morning  about 
ten,  and  get  back  for  luncheon.  Then  off  again  at  two,  and  back  for  my 
massage  at  five.  Ow^ing  to  the  weather,  which  when  not  raining  is  muggy  and 
overcast,   we  have  not  yet   gone  out  at  night  here. 

KYOTO.  THURSDAY,  November  6,    1919. 

Visited  Kiyomidzu  Temple,  the  largest  we  have  seen;  and  Sanjusangendo 
Temple,  supposed  to  contain  33,333  statues  of  the  Goddess  of  Mercy — I  only 
counted  33,332,  but  1  may  have  missed  one.  The  number  would  have  been 
complete  if  I  had  counted  in  a  rat  that  Nellie  spied  disporting  among  the  finest 
of  the  gilt  statues.  The  statement  of  the  guide  that  these  rats  never  attacked 
visitors  completely  reassured  her — I  don't  think.      For  50  sen,  we  later  obtained, 

or    rather  were   solicited   to   buy,    a    printed   prayer    insuring   against   all   harm 

including  rats. 

In  the  afternoon  we  went  to  see  the  Imperial  Palace  of  Kyoto,  where  the 
Emperor  is  expected  next  week  on  his  way  home  from  the  military  maneuvers 
to  be  held  at  Kobe.  It  is  a  shed  like  structure  with  little  of  beauty  or  interest 
except  the  two  thrones  of  the  Emperor  and  Empress  in  one  hall.  One  can  hardly 
conceive  of  a  more  uncomfortable  place  to  live  in  from  our  standpoint.  This 
applies  to  Japanese  houses  generally  and  is  probably  why  w^ealthy  Japanese  will 
have  a  native  and  a  European  house  side  by  side,  like  Asano  and  Iwasaki,  and 
live  in  the  latter. 

On  entering  all  Japanese  houses,  tea  houses  and  most  shops,  the  natives 
take  off  their  clogs,  slippers  or  shoes,  remaining  in  their  stocking  feet,  and 
foreigners  put  on  covers  of  cloth  over  their  shoes.  In  temples  and  palaces 
foreigners  also  take  off  shoes,  before  putting  on  cloth  or  felt  covers  or  slippers. 
In  Nellie's  case,  the  guide  had  worked  it  so  that  she  only  took  off  her  rubbers 
and  put  covers  over  her  shoes.  When  it  came  to  the  Emperor's  palace  this  did 
not  work  and  she  had  to  take  off  her  spats  and  low  shoes.  On  coming  out  she 
could  not  put  her  spats  on  again  as  they  were  buttoned  and  she  had  no  button- 
hook.    Going  about  in  rickshaws  in  this  way  did  her  cold  no  good. 

The  palace  stands  in  an  enclosure  situated  in  a  fine  large  park. 

On  reaching  the  hotel  we  found  a  second  letter  from  Sallie  and  one  from 
Flora  Wilson,  the  latter  again  bewailing  the  fact  that  they  could  get  no  steamer 
accommodations  to   join  us. 

Sallie  is  the  only  one  of  the  family  who,  instead  of  following  the  very  poor 
mailing  instructions  given  for  our  guidance  by  Cook's  in  San  Francisco,  has 
looked  up  sailing  dates  in  the  papers  and  written  accordingly.  I  wish  that 
Mr.  Herrod  would  get  in  touch  with  the  Post  Office  authorities  as  to  Oriental 
mails  and  notify  the   family   accordingly. 


36 

When  we  got  in  this  afternoon  Nellie  felt  so  badly  that  she  went  to  bed  and 
took  a  very  light  supper  in  her  room. 

KYOTO,    FRIDAY.   November    7.    1919. 

Nellie  felt  a  little  better  this  morning  but  decided  not  to  venture  out  in  the 
forenoon.  I  went  with  the  guide  to  the  Post  Office  to  send  a  wireless  to  Mount- 
ford  Wilson  on  the  Korea.  It  was  alongside  of  a  municipal  market  established 
to  combat  the  high  cost  of  living  and  consequently  the  prices  were  supposed  to 
be  somewhat  lower  than  elsewhere.  Owing  to  the  custom  of  selling  most  things 
by  the  piece,  such  as  fish  or  vegetables,  or  by  arbitrary  measures,  as  for  rice, 
beans,  oysters  and  such,  it  is  hard  to  establish  a  comparison  with  our  prices. 
Fish  seemed  distinctly  dearer  as  the  Japanese  live  largely  on  that,  with  rice  and 
vegetables.  Beef,  and  not  very  good  looking  at  that,  was  60  cents  a  pound. 
Pheasants  (which  are  abundant)  70  cents  apiece;  frying  chickens  about  80 
cents  apiece,  tame  ducks  90  cents,  wild  mallards  $  1 .00 — all  this  calculated  in 
our  money.  Wheat  flour  is  highest,  rice  flour  next,  bean,  millet,  etc.  still  lower. 
I  was  surprised  about  beans  being  so  low  and  think  I  was  misinformed.  One  of 
the  most  common  fish  is  the  octopus,  of  small  sizes. 

In  the  afternoon,  Nellie  feeling  equal  to  it,  we  took  a  limousine  and  went  to 
a  suburban  town  along  the  levee  of  a  very  pretty  river,  to  see  what  the  guide 
said  was  a  very  fine  chrysanthemum  garden.  It  turned  out  to  be  an  annual 
exhibition  of  the  flowers  in  a  pavilion,  and  largely  attended — admission  1  5  cents. 
Outside  of  the  ordinary  exhibits,  which  were  only  fair,  the  great  attractions  were 
groups  of  actors  in  various  celebrated  scenes,  made  up  of  the  flowers,  masks 
and  pieces  of  costume,  in  a  rather  attractive  way.  Exhibitions  on  stages  of 
jugglers  and  other  actors  also  amused  the  public,  though  of  no  special  merit. 

In  the  evening  Harry  Bowie  telephoned  from  the  Toyo  Tei  Hotel,  kept  by 
the  aunt  of  Harry's  former  cook — Toyo — that  he  had  arrived  from  Tokyo  and 
would  call  on  us  in  the  morning.  By  the  way,  I  forgot  to  mention  that  we  had 
looked  up  Toyo  at  this  hotel,  and  saw  the  aunt  (a  remarkably  pleasant  faced 
woman)  and  uncle.  Toyo  himself  was  at  a  restaurant,  a  sort  of  branch  of  the 
hotel,  which  he  kept  and  where  European  food  is  served.  Nellie  telephoned  to 
him  and  he  called  later  with  a  bunch  of  chrysanthemums.  He  has  been  so 
engaged  for  six  months,  and  has  made  money  each  month,  but  would  like  to 
return  to  America,  if  his  mother  and  wife  were  not  opposed.  He  was  delighted 
to   learn  details   of  Harry's  menage   from  Nellie. 

KYOTO,  SATURDAY,  November  8,    1919. 

Harry  Bowie  called  just  before  ten,  and,  as  Nellie  was  feeling  well,  we 
invited  him  to  motor  to  Lake  Biwa,  one  of  the  favorite  excursions.  One  can  go 
by  train  or  motor,  and  return  by  the  canal  that  connects  the  lake  at  Kyoto, 
with  the  river  that  runs  through  the  city.  The  canal  also  runs  through  the 
city,  alongside  of  the  river  and  goes  to  Waka  and  is  of  considerable  commercial 
importance,  though  we  saw  very  little  traffic  upon  it.  Returning  by  canal 
makes  an  all  day  trip  but  we  motored  both  ways  and  got  back  for  lunch.  It 
was  a  pretty  drive,  and  we  stopped  at  Shiyoshi,  the  temple  dedicated  to  monkeys, 
where  the  guide  snapped  a  picture  of  us  three  that  I  hope  will  be  good.  We 
have  so  far  had  very  poor  luck,  perhaps  owing  to  cloudy  weather.  Unfortunately 
the  day  was  hazy  which  marred  the  view  of  the  lake  and  its  shores.  A  gigantic 
old  gnarled  pine  tree,  low  but  with  an  immense  spread,  is  one  of  the  sights. 

On  returning  I  found  that  Nellie  had  been  cold  all  the  morning  and  her 
temperature  proved  to  be  over  100  degrees.  She  went  straight  to  bed,  ate 
nothing,  and  at  three  o'clock  we  had  a  Japanese  doctor,  by  name  Murakami,  as 


37 

there  is  no  foreign  doctor  in  Kyoto.  He  is  a  graduate  of  the  local  medical 
university  and  highly  recommended.  By  that  time  her  temperature  was  101 
degrees.  He  diagnosed  an  irritation  of  the  bronchial  tubes  and  also  of  the 
intestines,  not  serious  but  to  be  kept  under  close  observation.  He  prescribed 
castor  oil  and  a  disinfectant  for  the  intestines,  and  will  call  again  at  9:30 
tomorrow  morning. 

We  spent  two  or  three  hours  very  agreeably  with  Harry  Bowie  during  our 
excursion.  He  is  such  a  gentleman  and  an  extremely  interesting  conversa- 
tionalist. We  learned  many  things  about  the  Chinese  system  or  rather  art  of 
writing,  to  which  he  has  devoted  many  years  of  study.  Be  it  understood  that 
the  arts  as  well  as  most  other  Japanese  institutions,  including  the  Buddhist 
religion,  have  come  from  China  via  Korea  during  the  centuries,  commencing 
with  the  seventh,  when  Japan  emerged  from  barbarism.  Hence  Chinese  writing 
is  studied  and  practiced  by  intellectual  Japan  as  an  art. 

It  is  an  art  in  truth,  as  the  Chinese  language  is  written  in  symbols,  on  the 
same  principle  as  our  dollar  ($)  mark,  or  Pound  Sterling  (£)  mark;  each 
symbol  meaning  a  wrord,  or,  I  believe,  even  a  sentence.  There  are  four  hundred 
thousand  of  these  symbols,  and  a  man  of  ordinary  education  can  understand 
and  use  only  about  five  thousand  of  them.  I  give  this  information  out  as  I 
received  it,  but  with  some  hesitancy,  as  I  did  not  get  it  from  Bowie. 

Bowie  is  alniost  pathetic  in  his  admiration  of,  and  devotion  to,  everything 
Japanese.  He  had  invited  us  to  lunch  with  him  tomorrow  at  the  Toyo  Tei 
Hotel,  the  meal  to  be  cooked  by  Toyo,  but  I  had  to  telephone  him  that  Nellie's 
indisposition  made  it  necessary  to  cancel  the  appointment. 

At  the  great  Temple  we  saw  coils  of  cable  four  to  five  inches  in  diameter, 
made  of  women's  hair.  When  this  temple  was  rebuilt  not  many  years  ago, 
after  destruction  by  fire,  it  was  done  by  popular  subscription  and  several  thous- 
and women,  who  had  nothing  else  to  give,  donated  their  hair  to  make  ropes  to 
be  used  in  the   construction. 

Owing  to  the  constant  necessity  of  taking  off  one's  shoes  on  entering 
buildings,  in  order  not  to  soil  the  matting  on  the  floor,  Japanese  men  in  European 
dress  wear  largely  the  old  fashioned  elastic  gaiters  that  were  common  with  us  a 
generation  or  two  ago.  Of  course  those  in  Japanese  costume  merely  slip  off 
their   clogs   or   slippers. 

KYOTO,  SUNDAY,  November  9,  1919. 
Nellie's  temperature  down  to  99.4  degrees  this  morning.  She  took  her 
coffee  and  hard  boiled  eggs  with  relish — the  latter  prescribed  by  the  doctor. 
He  came  at  9:30  and  found  her  very  much  better.  In  fact,  he  practically  dis- 
missed himself  by  saying  that  we  could  telephone  if  we  needed  him  further. 
We  however  asked  him  to  come  again,  tomorrow  morning.  He  charges  5  yen 
for  the  first  and  3  yen  for  subsequent  visits.  The  yen  is  worth  1 00  sen  or 
50  cents  of  our  money. 

Mr.  Bowie  called  about  10:00  to  enquire  about  Nellie  and  I  had  a  pleasant 
chat  with  him  for  half  an  hour.  We  are  to  let  him  know  when  we  can  accept 
his  lunch. 

I  went  with  the  guide  by  rickshaw  to  do  a  few  errands  in  the  forenoon 
and  again  in  the  afternoon,  when  1  also  visited  the  Zoo,  which  is  of  very 
moderate   interest. 

Nellie  spent  the  day  in  bed,  by  the  doctor's  instructions,  although  not 
having  any  pain  or  feeling  sick.  Her  temperature  is  still  slightly  above  99, 
which   for   her   means   over   a    degree    of   temperature.       It   rained   last    night   but 


38 

looks  like  clearing  today.  We  are  heartily  sick  of  Jupiter  Pluvius.  We  are 
also  getting  worried  about  our  mail,  as  the  China's  mail  must  have  been  de- 
livered and   nothing  more   has   come. 

KYOTO,    MONDAY.    November    10,    1919. 

Nellie's  temperature  about  99  degrees.  The  doctor  pronounced  her  better 
and  said  that  all  symptoms  that  nnight  have  given  anxiety  had  disappeared.  She 
will  however  remain  quietly  in  bed  and  be  very  careful  of  her  diet  today. 
The  weather  is  quite  cold  and  the  sun  is  rarely  seen   except   for  brief  intervals. 

Miss  Cutten,  our  fellow  passenger  of  the  "Russia"  is  here  and  turns  out 
to  have  taken  the  course  of  training  at  the  Post  Graduate  Hospital,  New  York, 
ior  three  years,  although  she  only  practiced  her  profession  for  eight  months. 
She  is  very  amiable  in  offering  her  services  to  Nellie,  who  fortunately  does  not 
need   them. 

KYOTO.  TUESDAY.   November    11.    1919. 

At  Miss  Cutten's  suggestion,  Nellie  took  calomel  last  night  and  epsom  salts 
this  morning.  As  a  consequence  her  temperature  is  down  to  97.8 — about  normal 
for  her.  She  feels  a  little  weak  from  her  dosing  and  dieting,  but  as  a  compensa- 
tion her  cold  has  entirely  disappeared.  Miss  Cutten  had  been  urging  the  above 
medication  several  days  ago,  but  as  she  did  not  then  say  that  she  was  a  trained 
nurse  we  paid  no  attention  to  her.  If  we  had,  I  am  satisfied  that  Nellie  would 
have  been  spared  the  experience  of  a  Japanese  doctor,  who  nearly  drove  her 
to  drink.  He  carefully  suggested  to  her,  in  exceedingly  broken  English,  every 
possible  untoward  complication  that  might  arise.  He  was  like  the  doctor,  who 
after  examining  a  patient  said:  "You  are  going  to  die",  adding  casually,  "every 
man  does;    but  it  will  not  be  from  this  present  illness." 

The  great  Daimios,  or  Lords  of  ancient  Japan,  had  their  retainers  or  fight- 
ing men,  called  Samurai,  whose  acts  of  reckless  bravery  and  contempt  of  death 
are  recorded  in  history,  and  form  the  subject  of  countless  songs  and  stories. 
They  w^ere  fighting  men,  pure  and  simple,  and  considered  trade,  industry  or  any 
kind  of  work,  beneath  them.  So  much  so  that  when,  through  the  misfortune 
of  their  employers,  or  through  their  ow^n  fault,  they  became  separated  from 
their  feudal  lords,  they  considered  it  less  degrading  to  beg  than  to  w^ork.  Hence 
there  was  an  association  formed  of  the  "Begging  Samurai".  Remnants  of  this 
order  exist  today,  although  modern  conditions  have  practically  eliminated  the 
Samurai  as  a  caste  or  class. 

While  they  thought  begging  less  degrading  than  work,  still,  they  were 
ashamed  of  the  former  also;  consequently,  w^hiie  engaged  in  begging,  they  w^ore 
a  sort  of  helmet  made  of  wicker,  to  hide  the  face,  and  they  carried  a  whistle 
which  they  blew  as  an  appeal,  instead  of  having  to  ask  for  alms. 

The  other  day  I  happened  to  see  two  of  these  "mendicant  knights" 
together  in  the  streets  of  Kyoto,  clad  in  their  wicker  helmets  and  blowing  their 
whistles  from  time  to  time.  1  thought  it  was  one  of  the  most  curious  relics  of 
a  bygone  age  that  1  could  possibly  come  across,  and,  as  it  is  now  a  rare  sight, 
1  considered  myself  fortunate.  1  did  not  see  anybody  respond  to  their  appeal. 
Mailed  November  11,  1919. 
"Received  at  San  Francisco, 
December   3,    1919. 

KYOTO,  WEDNESDAY,   November    12,    1919. 

Out  of  precaution,  Nellie  stayed  in  this  forenoon  but  went  down  to  lunch 
in  the  dining  room.  The  head  waiter,  a  little  slim  Jap  whom  we  have  nicknamed 
*'the  Ape",  is  most  attentive  in  trying  to  get  things  cooked  for  her  as  she  likes. 


39 

We  appreciate  this,  but  not  his  standing  at  attention,  just  far  enough  back  to 
necessitate  turning  one's  head  to  address  him,  and  trying  to  keep  up  a  desultory 
conversation.  Although  we  have  two  grand  rooms  with  bath,  we  prefer  the 
location  of  the  other  hotel,  the  Myako;  less  comfortable,  but  situated  on  a 
hill  with  a  grand  view.  We  tried  to  get  in  there,  but  the  Manager,  in  character- 
istic Japanese  way,  while  apparently  most  anxious  to  accommodate  us,  never 
came  through  with  the  goods. 

In  the  afternoon  we  went  to  one  of  the  Imperial  summer  palaces,  just  to 
see  the  grounds,  and  had  a  most  enjoyable  drive  through  pretty  suburbs,  in  a 
limousine.  I  had  previously,  in  the  forenoon,  visited  alone  another  summer 
Imperial  palace.  There  also  only  the  grounds,  the  location  and  the  view  were 
worth   seeing — but   they   were   well   worth   while. 

KYOTO,    THURSDAY,    November    13,     1919. 

Started  at  9:30  by  motor  for  Nara,  tw^enty-five  miles  away  on  the  road 
to  Osaka.  The  road  was  under  repair  and  we  only  got  half  way  when  we  had 
to  take  the  train  for  the  balance  of  the  journey.  Arrived  at  noon  and  went 
by  rickshaw  to  the  Railroad  Administration  Hotel,  beautifully  situated  on  a  hill 
on  the  other  side  of  town.  In  driving  through  the  streets,  w^e  met  a  number 
of  tame  deer,  the  overflow  from  the  famous  deer  park  where  about  seven 
hundred  are  kept  in  perfect  liberty  during  the  day,  although  penned  every 
night.  The  bucks  are  dehorned  (except  the  spike  bucks)  on  October  1  7th  of 
each  year,  to  prevent  their  getting  dangerous.  This  is  done  by  a  priest  as  a 
religious  ceremony,  for  the  deer  are  sacred  and  in  olden  times  the  killing  of 
one  was  punishable  by  death.  In  the  park  cakes  are  sold  to  feed  to  them  and, 
upon  a  certain  call,  they  flock  around  you  and  almost  fight  to  eat  the  cakes  out 
of  your  hand.  It  is  a  beautiful  park,  with  a  temple  and  a  multitude  of  the  stone 
lanterns  that  are  put  up  by  devotees,  as  "ex  votos".  There  is  also  a  sacred 
horse  at  the  temple,  presumably  one  used  by  some  celebrated  personage,  w^ho 
has   given   it  into  the  keeping  of  the  temple. 

On  the  way  to  Nara  we  visited  the  tombs  of  the  late  Emperor  and  Empress, 
which  are  simple  and  dignified.  The  Railroad  Hotel  is  very  moderate  in  its 
charges  and  hence  is  largely  patronized  by  the  many  Russian  refugees  of  the 
Letter  class,  who  throughout  Japan  are  reduced  to  poverty  by  the  decline  of  the 
rouble  in  international  exchange. 

We  returned  to  Kyoto  by  rail,  arriving  after  five,  when  it  is  already  quite 
dark.  We  were  well  satisfied  with  our  trip,  for  which  we  had  the  finest  day 
in  the  way  of  weather  since  we  have  landed  in  Japan. 

We  received  this  evening  a  telegram  from  the  Wilsons  at  Yokohama,  saying 
that  they  were  taking  the  train  next  morning  to  join  us.  Received  a  nice  letter 
of  the  25th  October  from  Marie  Louise.      Thanks,   keep  it  up. 

KYOTO,  FRIDAY,  November  14,  1919. 
Starting  at  9:00  A.M.  by  motor,  we  went  to  Kameoka,  about  an  hour's 
ride,  where  we  took  an  open  sampan  boat  about  tweenty-five  feet  long  with 
four  rowers  and  steerers,  to  shoot  the  rapids  of  the  Kodzu  River  for  about 
twelve  miles  down  to  Arashiyoma.  There  the  motor  met  us  again  and 
took  us  back  to  the  hotel  for  lunch.  The  day  was  fair  but  in  crossing  the 
ridge  to  the  basin  of  the  Kodzu  we  got  into  a  light  fog,  such  as  we  see  so  often 
in  California,  on  the  coast  in  summer,  but  this  melted  away  soon  after  we  started 
down  the  river.  The  water  was  rather  low  so  that  the  rapids  were  not  very 
thrilling,  but  the  scenery  was  most  interesting  and  beautiful.  The  river  runs 
lietween  well  wooded  banks   in  a   deep  cut   channel;    the   coloring  of  the   leaves 


40 

is  very  pretty  and  the  rapids  furnish  a  pleasurable  excitement  from  time  to 
time.  A  railroad  runs  along  the  river,  cut  into  the  hilly  bank  and  supported 
by  masonry  in  many  places;  a  very  expensive  piece  of  engineering,  with  many 
bridges  over  gluches,  and  tunnels  in  addition.  Rafts  of  logs  from  the  upper 
reaches,  with  loggers  poling  them  down  the  rapids,  furnished  a  picturesque 
sight. 

In  the  afternoon  we  went  by  rickshaw  and  visited  two  most  interesting 
private   Japanese    gardens.       These    always    interest    us. 

In  the  evening  at  seven  o'clock  we  motored  down  to  the  station  and  met 
the  Wilsons,  who  looked  very  well  and  who  heartily  reciprocated  our  en- 
thusiastic greetings.  They  will  be  with  us  just  about  a  month  and  we  could 
not  find  more  agreeable  or  sympathetic  travelling  companions. 

Earlier  in  the  afternoon  we  were  at  last  rejoiced  to  get  some  more  mail. 
A  letter  from  Marie  of  October  1  4th,  and  two  from  Miss  Slusher  of  October  1  5th 
and  24th.  How  these  came  to  arrive  together  I  cannot  imagine.  We  also  got 
Daily  Chronicles,  but  not  later  than  October  15th.  Also  Willett  &  Gray's 
sugar  circular  and  the  Argonaut,  of  the  16th.  Regarding  the  Chronicle,  please 
in  future  only  send  the  two  of  latest  date  when  you  post  mail. 

As  we  proceed  on  our  voyage  the  time  will  come  when  our  mail  will  have 
to  be  sent  via  Europe  instead  of  via  the  Pacific.  I  don't  know  when  this  will  be 
but  would  ask  Mr.  Herrod  to  keep  in  close  touch  with  Stokes  of  Cook's 
and  advise  all  interested  in  due  time.  After  we  leave  Bombay,  which 
according  to  present  schedule  will  be  about  March  20th  next,  then  our  mail 
should  go  care  of  Credit  Lyonnais,  1 9  Boulevard  des  Italiens,  Paris,  and  I  will 
instruct  them  where  to   forward   in  Europe. 

I  would  also  like  Mr.  Herrod  to  consult  the  proper  Custom  House  authori- 
ties and  let  me  know  as  soon  as  possible,  how  goods  sent  from  foreign  countries 
by  me  by  parcel  post  will  be  treated  on  arrival  at  the  San  Francisco  office.  If 
the  duties  can  be  paid  on  such  goods  without  vexatious  formalities,  it  will  be 
more  convenient  to  send  that  way  than  by  express  with  Consular  invoices,  as 
I  am  now  doing. 

We  received  by  hand  from  the  Wilsons  a  letter  from  Harry  about  the 
purchase  of  "Sea  Products"  stock;  and  also  a  letter  from  Sallie  and  a  ring  that 
was  left  behind,   for  all  of  which  w^e  are  thankful. 

KYOTO,   SATURDAY,   November    15,    1919. 

The  Wilsons  have  arranged  to  be  with  us  until  Shanghai,  and  about  the 
time  we  leave  there  for  Manila,  they  will  leave  for  Nagasaki  and  stop  over  two 
w^eeks  in  Japan   before   returning   home. 

This  morning  we  all  four  started  out  together  by  motor  and  went  over 
with  them  some  of  the  most  interesting  things  w^e  had  seen.  They  are  most 
enthusiastic  as  everything  is  absolutely  novel  to  them.  We  also  enjoyed  some 
new  sights  together,  such  as  Tea  Pot  Lane.  This  is  a  street,  running  sharply 
up  a  hill  to  a  small  temple,  that  originally  was  full  of  shops  for  the  sale  of  tea- 
pots as  a  specialty,  but  has  now  come  to  be  a  bazaar  for  all  sorts  of  cheap 
curios,  toys,  etc.  It  was  absolutely  jammed  with  a  well  behaved  holiday  crowd 
of  the  lower  middle  class,  bent  on  pleasure.  The  first  and  fifteenth  of  each 
month  are  the  days  of  rest  for  the  working  people  of  Japan.  The  government 
offices,  schools,  and  the  banking  and  commercial  classes,  have  adopted  our  Sun- 
day, but  the  balance  of  Japan  rests  but  two  days  a  month. 

About  4:30  we  went  to  a  Japanese  theatre  where  a  war  play  was  going  on. 
We   stayed   about   half  an   hour,   being   mostly   interested   in   the   arrangement   of 


41 

the  house.  The  parquet  is  divided  by  movable  partitions  into  little  square  boxes 
where  the  public  squats  on  cushions.  The  floor  rises  back  sharply  so  that 
everyone  has  a  good  view.  At  the  rear  there  is  a  tier  of  boxes  like  an  opera 
house,  where  there  are  chairs  for  foreigners.  This  is  a  recent  innovation. 
Food  and  drink  are  brought  by  attendants  and  freely  consumed. 

This  is  our  last  night  in  Kyoto.  Tomorrow  morning  at  6:15  we  start  west 
and,  after  one  stop,  cross  over  to  Korea.  This  is  the  most  typically  Japanese 
city  we  have  seen  yet,  and,  although  our  stay  was  marred  by  Nellie's  indisposi- 
tion, we  have  enjoyed  it  thoroughly.     We  all  called  on  Mr.  Bowie  to  say  goodbye. 

KYOTO  TO  MIYAJIMA,  SUNDAY,  November   16.   1919. 

Started  by  the  6:15  A.M.  train  for  Miyajima,  an  island  about  a  mile  or 
more  from  shore  in  the  Inland  Sea,  and  considered  one  of  the  three  most  beauti- 
ful spots  in  Japan.  The  scenery,  as  everywhere  in  Japan,  was  beautiful;  hilly 
and  wooded,  with  the  narrow  valley  on  each  side  of  the  railroad  intensively 
cultivated  and  terraced  up  the  slopes.  The  day  was  beautiful  and  part  of  the 
trip,  along  the  shore  of  the  Inland  Sea,  was  a  dream  of  beauty.  The  time 
passed  quickly  in  reading  and  watching  the  scenery,  except  for  Flora,  who  had 
contracted  a  hard  cold  on  the  way  down  from  Yokohama  and  who  lay  curled 
up  on  the  sofa  of  our  compartment  until  afternoon.  She  is  the  best  sport  under 
difficulties  I  have  ever  seen.  Later  in  the  day  she  revived  sufficiently  to  play 
bridge  until  we  left  the  train  at  4:30.  Then  a  motor  boat  took  us  to  the  Island, 
where  we  landed  in  the  worst  kept  hotel  we  have  so  far  struck.  Both  the  ladies 
went  to  bed;  Flora  for  good  and  Nellie  till  dinner  time.  Mountford  and  I  took 
a  walk  and  went  back  for  my  massage  at  6:00  P.M.  The  hotel  was  as  cold  as  a 
barn  from  cellar  to  roof  and,  although  fitted  for  steam  heating,  that  ostensibly 
was  out  of  order.  Not  an  open  fire  in  the  place  and  we  were  driven  early  to 
bed  to  keep  warm.  To  be  in  keeping  with  the  rest,  the  dinner  was  all  stone 
cold,   and  it   rained  steadily. 

The  next  morning,  November  1 7th,  one  of  the  public  baths  was  out  of 
order  and  although,  through  Saku,  we  were  able  to  get  a  bath,  very  few  of  the 
other  guests  did.  To  show  the  nature  of  the  management,  on  arrival  we  found 
the  room  reserved  for  the  Wilsons  forcibly  occupied  by  some  ladies,  who  had 
arrived  earlier  in  the  day  and  had  taken  matters  in  their  own  hands,  after 
being  driven  to  desperation  by  inability  to  get  any  allocation  or  satisfaction. 
The  Wilsons  got  a  fair  roomi  but  on  another  floor.  Flora  stayed  in  bed  until 
train  time  but  the  rest  of  us  took  a  most  delightful  walk  of  nearly  two  hours, 
sauntering  over  gentle  hills  to  Maple  Valley,  gorgeous  in  flaming  colored  leaves, 
almost  as  fine  as  Nikko  but  on  a  smaller  scale;  also,  visiting  a  couple  of  curious 
temples,  etc.  The  principal  temple  stands  on  the  shore,  and  the  base  of  its  gate- 
way or  Torii  is  out  in  the  sea,  several  hundred  feet  away,  whether  by  design  or 
the  subsidence  of  the  shore  line,  I  do  not  know.  The  effect  is  most  picturesque. 
It  is  the  only  one  in  Japan  so  situated  and  this  peculiarity  is  used  extensively  in 
the  ornamentation  of  various  objects.  We  had  planned  a  motor  boat  trip  of 
two  hours  around  the  Island,  but  the  day  was  too  cold,  overcast  and  threatening. 

We  got  back  to  the  mainland  for  the  same  train  by  which  we  had  arrived 
the  previous  day,  and  went  on  to  Shimonoseki,  where  we  took  the  night  boat 
for  Fusan,  Korea,  at  nine  o'clock.  After  it  got  dark  we  filled  in  the  time  with 
bridge.  At  Miyajima  we  made  the  casual  acquaintance  of  four  French  aviation 
officers,  who  have  been  in  Japan  as  instructors  for  ten  months.  Two  spoke 
English  quite  well.  They  are  anxious  to  see  the  United  States  on  their  way 
home,  as  they  came  the  other  way. 


42 

The  crossing  boat  was  quite  large  and  the  cabins  roomy;  that  is  all  the 
good  that  can  be  said  of  it.  It  was  raining  as  we  went  aboard  but  the  sea  was 
quite  smooth. 

FUSAN,  KOREA.  TUESDAY,  November  18.  1919. 
We  docked  in  Fusan  at  9:00  A.M.  to  look  upon  quite  different  people  from 
the  Japanese.  They  look  more  like  Chinese  and  they  are  dressed  in  white 
despite  the  cold  weather,  their  outer  garments  of  linen  resembling  white  dusters. 
Naturally  among  the  dock  hands  this  white  is  far  from  immaculate.  The  most 
salient  feature  of  their  costume,  however,  is  a  very  diminutive  hat  of  cream 
colored  open  straw  like  Leghorn,  shaped  like  a  stove-pipe  hat  about  three  or 
four  sizes  too  small — consequently  standing  way  on  top  of  the  head  and  fastened 
to  a  kind  of  black  skull  cap.  Some  had  four  brims,  superimposed  like  a  pagoda, 
indicating  being  in  mourning.  Women  also  in  white,  w^ith  very  wide  pleated 
skirts.  There  were  lots  of  men  and  boys  with  a  wooden  frame  on  their  backs, 
which  reminded  me  of  the  trunk  rack  on  an  automobile,  to  carry  all  kinds  of 
loads. 

While  waiting  at  the  station,  we  saw  two  young  American  girls  in  animated 
conversation,  through  an  interpreter,  with  the  Japanese  officials.  They  were 
sisters,  the  Misses  Tyler,  of  Kentucky,  travelling  quite  alone  in  the  Orient. 

They  had  been  visiting  some  school  friends  who  live  in  Northern  Japan 
and  had  a  most  interesting  time  there.  One  of  them  had  forgotten  in  the  hotel 
at  Miyajima  all  her  valuables;  money,  jewelry,  letter  of  credit  and  passport. 
They  were  in  a  bad  predicament  but  it  was  finally  arranged,  Mountford  and  I 
participating  through  our  courrier,  Tominaga,  that  they  should  be  allowed  to 
proceed  to  Seoul,  where  the  American  consul  would  take  charge  of  them. 

So  it  was  done  and  we  learned  later  that  the  valuables  were  recovered,  and 
they    were    able    to    proceed    with    comparatively    little    delay. 

Our  train  started  at  10:00  A.M.  and  did  not  reach  Seoul  until  8:30  P.M. 
The  diner  w^as  very  good.  The  Korean  railroads  are  broad  gauge,  unlike  the 
Japanese,  and  the  coaches  like  ours  except  that  the  seats  are  for  three  persons 
on  one  side  and  one  person  on  the  other  side  of  the  aisle.  This  works  very 
well  when  the   train  is  not  crow^ded,   which  was  fortunately  the  case. 

The  country  looks  quite  different  from  Japan.  The  same  hills  but  bare 
and  deforested;  consequently  gullied  by  rains,  showing  the  red  clay  subsoil. 
This  above  the  irrigation  line.  The  valleys  between  the  hills  are  under  irriga- 
tion and  intensively  cultivated  like  Japan.  The  houses  or  huts  are  thatched  with 
rice  straw  a  foot  or  more  thick,  and  are  grouped  in  larger  villages  than  in  Japan, 
generally  with  a  mud  wall  three  or  four  feet  high  around  them.  The  land, 
apparently  mainly  devoted  to  rice,  is  bare  of  crops  at  this  season,  therefore  we 
saw  very  few  people  in  the  fields.  An  odd  feature  is  that  bulls  and  cows  are 
mainly    used    for   pack    animals    instead    of    horses. 

Flora  is  much  better  and  so  we  had  a  pleasant  day  looking  out  of  the 
window,  reading,  talking  and  playing  bridge.  We  arrived  at  the  hotel  and  went 
to  dinner  at  nine  o'clock.  We  had  heard  it  was  the  best  hotel  in  the  East,  and 
it  is  the  best  w^e  have  found  so  far;  elevators,  steam  heat,  good  rooms  and 
excellent  cuisine. 

SEOUL,  KOREA,  WEDNESDAY,  November   19,   1919. 

Started  by   motor    (open no    limousine    to    be    had)    at    10:00    A.M.    to    see 

the  sights,  which  are  quite  insignificant.      Weather  cold  and  clear,   with  puddles 
turned  to  ice.      The  Imperial  museum   is  quite  ordinary.      The   castle   exterior  is 


43 

x]uite  interesting  but  it  is  unfurnished  and  closed.  The  streets  and  crowds  are 
novel,  but  the  shops  have  little  of  interest.  We  had  decided  to  cut  our  stay 
here  down  to  one  day  and  we  are  glad  of  it. 

In  the  evening  we  took  a  Korean  guide  and  went  to  see  a  Geisha  dance. 
The  costumes  were  more  barbaric  than  the  Japanese,  but  the  dancing  was  not 
as  artistic  and  the  music  as  bad.  We  were  glad  to  have  seen  it  for  its  oddness, 
but  that  is  all  that  can  be  said. 

At  Fusan  we  had  learned  by  chance  that  Mrs.  Chisholm  was  at  the  Railway 
Hotel,  sick  with  a  cold,  but  we  had  no  time  to  call  upon  her  after  we  learned 
this.  She  came  into  Seoul  tonight  and  seemed  entirely  recovered,  having  been 
detained  four  days  at  Fusan. 

We  found  last  night  on  arrival  Sallie's  letter  of  October  26th   (her  fourth) 
telling    about    Bud's    birthday    party    and    Louie's    indisposition.       We    are    most 
anxious  to  hear  how  he  progresses. 
Mailed  November  20,    1919. 
Received  at  San  Francisco, 
December   16,    1919. 

SEOUL,  THURSDAY,  November  20,    1919. 

Many  travellers  make  a  continuous  twenty-four-hour  journey  from  Seoul 
to  Mukden  in  the  sleeping  cars,  but  Torchiana  and  others  had  warned  us  against 
this,  so  we  made  a  daylight  journey  to  the  half  way  point  of  Shingishu,  the  last 
station  in  Korea  and  separated  only  by  the  Yalu  River  from  Antung  in  Southern 
Manchuria,  which  is  merely  under  a  Japanese  protectorate,  as  distinct  from 
Korea,  which  has  been  formally  annexed. 

The  only  difference,  as  far  as  the  inhabitants  are  concerned,  is  that  the 
Japanese  do  a  great  deal  more  of  constructive  work  in  Korea  for  its  improve- 
ment. As  far  as  that  goes,  1  have  been  told  that  the  Japs  are  the  only  ones 
who  do  any  improving  work  in  their  spheres  of  influence,  but  they  do  it  for 
the  benefit  of  their  own  subjects,  who  have  emigrated.  English,  French  and 
Russians  merely  milk  the  population  by  exclusive  trading  privileges.  My  in- 
formant was  a  Norwegian  on  the  International  Commission  that  manages  the 
Chinese  postal  service.      He  is  Commissioner  for  Manchuria. 

1  was  much  interested  in  my  talk  with  him.  He  says  that  there  is  no  such 
thing  as  patriotism,  in  our  sense  of  the  word,  or  as  civic  morality,  in  China. 
For  instance,  if  the  Postal  Service  were  to  be  turned  over  to  the  Chinese  Govern- 
ment, within  three  months  the  man  occupying  his  position  w^ould  have  every 
place  under  him  filled  with  his  relatives,  his  friends,  and  the  friends  of  his 
relatives,    totally    regardless   of   their    capacity. 

From  what  he  tells  me,  I  believe  that  the  Japanese  are  more  hated  in  their 
spheres  of  influence  than  the  Europeans,  because  their  working  classes  emigrate 
and  come  into  direct  competition  with  the  working  Chinese,  which  is  not  the 
case  with  Europeans. 

The  country  becomes  gradually  less  intensively  cultivated  and  still  moun- 
tainous. The  Koreans  are  larger  and  stronger  looking  than  the  Japs,  but  the 
women  I  do  not  think  as  good  looking.      Nellie  disagrees. 

The  hotel  at  Shingishu  is  at  the  station  and  is  not  very  convenient — bath 
room  on  a  different  floor,  etc.  We  passed  the  time  in  part  on  the  train  by 
playing  bridge.      Diner  good.      Passed  what  was  said  to  be  a  beet  factory. 

SHINGISHU,  KOREA,  FRIDAY,  November  21,  1919. 
The  train  was  late  so  we  did  not  get  away  until  nearly  1  1   a.  m.     I  had  heard 


44 

of  the  Manchurian  plains  and  of  the  soil  being  very  fertile.  The  railroad  how- 
ever, passes  through  a  very  narrow  valley,  between  high  hills,  some  wooded, 
but  many  bare  and  rocky.  The  country  was  mostly  under  snow  and  the 
scenery  beautiful,  on  that  account,  perhaps.  The  land  is  cultivated  up  the 
slopes  but  not  terraced,  and  consequently  the  rains  have  gullied  it  extensively, 
similarly  to  our  California  barrancas.  As  no  w^ork  is  going  on  in  the  fields 
the  population  seems  very  sparse,  and  this  is  confirmed  by  the  absence  of  the 
villages  that  dot  the  Korean,  and  still  more  the  Japanese,  landscape.  The  rail- 
road station  towns  are  fairly  populous  and  animated.  Millet  replaces  rice  as 
the  cereal  crop.  There  is  a  good  deal  of  rather  small  timber  at  the  stations, 
and  as  there  are  no  branch  lines  this  must  be  hauled  by  wagon  from  a  distance. 
The  native  population  has  changed  again  in  appearance  and  dress  from 
the  Japs  and  Koreans,  and  has  assumed  a  distinctly  Chinese  character.      I  picked 

up  a  slight  cold — I  cannot  imagine  where and  so  I  try  to  be  extremely  careful, 

but  it  is  so  difficult  to  get  rid  of  a  cold  on  the  cars  that  I  expect  to  carry  it  to 
Peking.  It  was  nearly  eight  o'clock  when  we  arrived  an  hour  late  at  Mukden, 
where  again  the  hotel  is  in  the  railroad  compound.  The  hotel  is  quite  pre- 
tentious and  we  w^ere  given  a  sumptuous  room,  about  40  feet  by  20  feet,  with  a 
bath;  but  as  the  hot  water  pipes  have  burst  and  our  toilet  does  not  work,  we 
are  not  as  luxurious  as  might  be  supposed.  Our  guide,  R.  Tominaga,  was 
somewhat  crestfallen  as  he  had  been  bragging  to  Nellie  about  the  accommoda- 
tions here.  He  was  met  here  by  the  Chinese  guide,  Lin  Fu,  under  whose 
guidance  w^e  are  to  be  until  we  reach  Nanking,  where  he  is  to  be  succeeded 
in  turn  by  a  South  China  man.  We  are  going  to  start  tomorrow  at  10;40  for 
a  continuous  trip  to  Peking,  as  we  are  told  the  Chinese  sleepers  are  all  right. 
I  had  massage  here  and  the  blind  rubber  charged  me  3  yen  ($1.50)  instead  of 
50c  and  75c  in  Japan. 


CHAPTER  in. 

Manchuria  and  China 


47 

MUKDEN.  MANCHURIA,  SATURDAY.  November  22.  1919. 
Our  train  was  late  and  we  did  not  get  started  before  1  1  :30  a.  m.  on  our  24- 
hour  journey.  The  Wilsons  and  ourselves  each  have  a  very  narrow  little  compart- 
ment, with  the  berths  running  across  the  car,  like  the  European  sleepers.  The 
upper  is  perched  up  near  the  roof,  but  otherwise  it  is  bearable  at  night  except 
as  regards  ventilation,  which  is  very  inadequate.  To  sit  in  during  the  day  this 
cubby  hole  would  be  very  bad,  but  fortunately  passengers  are  permitted  to 
occupy  the  tables  in  the  diner,  between  meals.  So  we  had  a  nice  table  to  play 
cards  on,  and  when  it  w^as  time  to  eat,  the  table  was  set  for  us  w^ithout  our 
moving,  if  we  so  desired.  As  everybody  does  the  same,  this  diner  is  crowded 
and.  with  incessant  smoking,  becomes  stuffy.  Also,  the  travelling  public  in 
Japan  and  China  seems  to  be  very  much  afflicted  with  colds,  with  consequent 
hawking  and  spitting,  that  got  on  the  nerves  of  the  ladies.  The  food  was  not 
bad.  At  every  station,  soon  after  Mukden.  Chinese  soldiers  formed  a  line  in 
front  of  the  cars,  rifles  in  hand — so  that  all  of  Manchuria  is  not  under  Japanese 
control.      I  cannot  learn  from  our  guide  the  exact  status  on  this  point. 

The  country  has  now  opened  up  into  a  flat  plain,  still  sprinkled  with  snow, 
which  gets  less  as  we  go  South,  and  there  are  no  villages  except  at  the  railway 
stations.  As  there  are  no  unharvested  crops  on  the  ground  there  is  little  to 
see  out  of  the  windows,  so  w^e  concentrate  on  bridge.  The  sanitary  arrange- 
ments are  in  terrible  condition  and,  at  night,  the  floor  of  the  narrow  corridor, 
in  front  of  the  compartments,  is  filled  with  sleeping  men  that  you  must  step 
over  to  circulate.  This  is  the  train  de  luxe  between  Seoul  and  Peking,  so  what 
the  inferior  ones  must  be  beggars  the  imagination.  However,  I  had  a  very  fair 
night's  sleep.  Our  little  Japanese  maid,  Saku,  in  the  second  class,  had  no  bed 
and,  as  the  Chinamen  around  her  spent  the  night  eating  and  talking,  she  never 
closed  an  eye. 

PEKING,  SUNDAY,  November  23,  1919. 
We  were  due  at  10:20  but  it  was  noon  before  we  got  in.  Most  of  our 
trains  have  been  late,  although  they  run  on  very  slow  schedule.  Not  far  from  the 
city  we  struck  and  killed  an  old  Chinese  woman.  Almost  instantaneously  some 
people  started  a  little  fire  of  papers  on  the  road,  before  which  they  kneeled  and 
prostrated  themselves.  In  a  little  while  other  fires  were  started,  w^hich  blazed 
up  for  a  few^  minutes,  while  the  poor  old  thing  lay  on  the  ground  alongside  the 
track,   untouched,    in  a   pool   of  blood. 

The  "Hotel  des  Wagons-Lits",  considered  the  best  in  Peking,  is  just  outside 
of  the  station  and  we  walked  from  the  train.  The  manager  pretended  that 
Cook's  had  not  told  him  we  had  advanced  our  time  of  arrival  by  one  day  and 
had  no  rooms  ready  before  late  afternoon.  However,  he  gave  us  a  temporary 
room.  It  was  Sunday  and  Mr.  Baker,  Cook's  agent,  who  lives  in  the  hotel, 
soon  came  along  and,  after  considerable  negotiating,  Nellie  and  I  got  two  rooms 
with  baths  in  which  we  are  very  comfortable,  and  the  Wilsons  one  similar  room 
which  suits  them  very  well.  Meanwhile  we  had  gone  into  lunch  and  found 
the  table  excellent.  Although  I  suffer  no  discomfort  whatever  from  my  cold, 
yet  it  is  a  cold,  and  as  everyone  says  Peking  is  a  bad  place  for  a  cold,  we 
decided  that  I  should  remain  indoors.  The  others  went  out  and  had  a  most 
interesting  afternoon,  partly  in  shops  and  partly  on  the  streets.  They  met  a 
most  barbaric  and  grand  funeral;  also  a  wedding  party,  the  bride  in  a  closed 
rickshaw  and  the  wedding  presents  carried  in  procession  by  boys — among  them 
two  marriage  trees.  They  found  the  prices  asked  in  the  shops  very  high,  partly 
because  our  dollar,    owing   to   the   high  price   of   silver,    is  only  worth   87c   here. 


48 

I  am  to  go  tomorrow  morning  to  Cook's  to  arrange  our  schedule  from 
here  on.  The  weather  is  bright  and  cold,  but  there  is  no  snow.  I  thought  at 
first  the  manager  of  the  Hotel  was  a  German,  but  he  is  a  Swiss. 

Mountford  gave  me  a  book,  "The  new  map  of  Asia"  by  H.  A.  Gibbons, 
that  has  interested  me  greatly.  It  is  depressing  in  its  exposure  of  European 
and  Japanese  rapacity  and  trickery,  in  the  partition  of  China  into  spheres  of 
influence,  which  are  unblushingly  used  to  rob  and  oppress  the  native  population. 
It  is  also  very  pessimistic  as  to  any  good  coming  from  the  league  of  nations  as 
projected.  It  excuses  the  Japanese  to  the  extent  that,  as  the  grabbing  cannot 
be   stopped,    their   own   protection   demands   that   they    get   as   much  as   possible. 

We  had  hoped  to  get  mail  here,  but  found  nothing  except  the  file  of 
Chronicles  to   October   23rd,   that   should   have   come  by  the  preceding   steamer. 


N.  S.  O. 

PEKING,  MONDA  Y,  November  24,  1919- 

The  Wilsons  and  I  went  shopping  and  as  Bob's  cold  is  not  entirely  over  we 
advised  him  to  stay  indoors  today.  We  went  into  the  Forbidden  City  also,  but  not 
into  the  Palace,  which  is  within  this.  It  is  barbaric  and  splendid;  beautiful  baU 
ustrades  of  carved  marble,  carved  marble  steps  and  very  large  court  yard.  In  the 
distance,  our  guide  pointed  out  a  pagoda  and  said  at  the  left  of  that,  behind  a  small 
hill,  was  the  palace  of  the  young  son  of  the  late  Emperor.  He  is  being  educated 
and  trained  by  tutors  to  speak  all  the  foreign  languages,  and  when  he  is  the  proper 
age  they  hope  he  will  be  able  to  take  his  place  at  the  head  of  the  government.  The 
government  of  China  under  the  present  system  is  so  corrupt  and  unsatisfactory  to 
a  large  majority  of  the  people  that  they  long  for  a  change. 

We  also  visited  the  observatory  which  is  situated  on  the  wall  of  the  Tartar 
City.  The  wall  is  about  forty  feet  wide,  with  a  moat  all  around  it  of  about  sixty 
feet,  and  this  separates  the  city  from  the  surrounding  country.  Peking  is  a  city 
composed  of  cities.  First  the  Tartar  City;  then  the  Chinese  City;  then  the  For-^ 
bidden  City;  then  the  Legation  City — each  one  has  a  wall  with  gates,  and  the  effect 
is  certainly  most  picturesque.  There  is  no  comparison  in  the  interest  of  this  charm- 
ing and  delightful  city  with  any  place  we  have  yet  visited.  The  people  are  a  better, 
larger,  more  healthy  looking  race  than  the  Japanese  or  Koreans,  and  the  city  looks 
so  substantial  and  solid,  compared  with  the  Japanese  cities. 

One  of  the  features  of  the  funeral  procession  that  we  saw  today  was  the  carry- 
ing of  figures,  life  size,  made  of  very  light  material,  perhaps  papier  mache,  dressed* 
in  Chinese  costumes.  They  looked  so  stiff  that  they  gave  me  a  start  at  first  as  I 
thought  they  might  be  corpses;  there  were  artificial  flowers  made  in  great  wreaths 
and  in  bunches,  very  gaudy  in  color;  and  banners  of  bright  red  material  heavily  em- 
broidered in  gold,  and  the  catafalque  was  draped  in  the  same  kind  of  embroidered 
cloth.  There  was  nothing  suggestive  of  death  in  the  whole  procession,  in  the  way 
of  decoration.  One  carriage  was  devoted  to  carrying  a  painting  of  the  deceased. 
The  chief  mourner  was  a  young  man  dressed  in  white  and  supported  by  two  other 
men  holdifig  tall  lanterns.  There  was  also  a  band  of  musicians,  all  dressed  in  red, 
playing  foreign  music. 


PEKING,  TUESDAY,  November  25,    1919. 
My   cold   continues   bad;     I    stayed   indoors   today   and,    as   Nellie    seemed   to 
have  caught  the  cold  from  me,  she  likewise  kept  indoors.     The  Wilsons  went  to 


49 

call  on  Mrs.  Bertram  Lenox  Simpson  (Marie  Louise  Parrot)  and  found  her 
charmingly  situated  and  most  cordial  and  attractive.  Her  husband  is  an  English- 
man, born  in  China  but  educated  in  England.  He  is  one  of  the  foreign  advisers 
of  the  Chinese  Government,  and  his  work  is  to  read  all  the  news  published, 
mostly  foreign,  and  make  a  report  or  digest  of  it  in  resume*.  This  is  mailed 
to  all  the  higher  officials,  many  of  whom  do  not  understand  any  of  the  foreign 
languages.  He  is  also  a  literary  man,  writing  under  the  non  de  plume  of 
"Putnam  Weale".  His  latest  book,  "The  Difference  Between  China  and 
Japan",  had  interested  the  Wilsons  very  much  on  the  trip  and  they  wanted  to 
bring  it  to  me,  but  lent  it  to  a  fellow  passenger  that  did  not  return  it.  My  cold 
is  getting  better  and   Nellie's   worse. 

PEKING,  WEDNESDAY,  November  26,  1919. 
Nellie's  cold  gave  her  considerable  temperature,  so  we  called  in  this  morn- 
ing Doctor  Reed,  the  American  Navy  Doctor  here.  He  diagnosed  a  very  niild 
case  of  influenza  that  required  staying  indoors,  preferably  in  bed,  until  48  hours 
ifter  her  temperature  subsided,  whenever  that  might  be.  He  had  twenty-five 
similar  cases  in  the  last  ten  days.  As  Nellie  suffered  no  pain,  he  prescribed  no 
medication  except  to  keep  down  the  temperature  by  an  ice  bag  to  her  head, 
and  alcohol  rubs.  He  said  there  was  absolutely  no  danger  unless  her  symptoms 
changed.  It  was  an  infection  caught  probably  in  the  sleeping  car.  Even  though 
we  are  not  alarmed,  this  is  a  regular  bomb  shell  dropped  in  our  midst.  Nellie 
has  looked  forward  to  Peking  as  the  bright  spot  in  the  trip  thus  far.  We  have 
only  a  few^  days  here  and  to  pass  an  indefinite  number  of  them  in  the  hotel  is 
very  hard  to  bear.  After  the  doctor  had  gone,  Mountford  and  1  started  off  in 
the  motor  with  the  guide  and  went  first  to  Cook's,  to  see  about  our  Pullmans 
for  the  South  on  Tuesday  of  next  week.  For  a  comparatively  small  sum  one 
can  get  a  private  car  from  Tientsin  to  Nankin  to  spend  the  night  in,  and  that 
is  what  we  are   trying   to    get. 

After  Cook's,  we  w^ent  to  the  American  Embassy  and  presented  my  cir- 
cular letter  from  Lansing,  and  that  from  Tumulty  as  Secretary  to  the  President. 
Doctor  Reinsch,  the  Minister,  has  resigned  and  gone,  so  my  letter  to  him  from 
George  T.  Marye  is  useless.  We  sent  the  letters  to  Dr.  Tenny,  the  charge* 
d'affaires  and  got  back  word  that  he  was  engaged  in  an  important  conference 
and  asked  us  to  see  the  first  Secretary,  Mr.  Willing  Spencer  of  Philadelphia.  We 
found  him  a  gentleman  of  excellent  manners  and  he  readily  agreed  to  get  some 
permits  we  needed.  He  must  have  means  outside  of  his  salary,  as  he  keeps 
house,   though  a  bachelor,   has  polo  ponies,   etc. 

We  had  all  been  invited  to  lunch  at  the  house  of  Commander  Hutchings, 
Naval  attache',  whom  the  Wilsons  met  through  the  Simpsons  and  for  whom  I 
had  a  letter  from  Admiral  Gove.  Spencer  was  also  invited  and  said  he  would 
see  us  there. 

The  two  Admirals  for  whom  Gove  had  given  me  letters  are  not  here,  but 
we  may  meet  them  both  at  Shanghai. 

From  the  Embassy  we  called  on  Leon  Tsine  Jen,  former  Chinese  Embassador 
to  Petrograd,  and  presented  a  letter  from  Mr.  G.  T.  Marye,  our  Ex -Embassador 
to  Russia,  his  former  colleague.  We  were  most  agreeably  received  and  he  is  to 
call,  to  arrange  to  take  us  on  a  sight-seeing  trip.  He  has  just  been  appointed 
Embassador  to  Tokyo  and  leaves  very  shortly  for  his  post.  Naturally  he  is  a 
Republican  and,  although  admitting  that  a  constitutional  Emperor  might  have 
been  a  better  solution,  he  thinks  China,  having  started  otherwise,  should 
resolutely    follow    the   Republican    path.      To    his    credit    be    it   said,    he    does    not 


50 

seem  to  have  gotten  rich  out  of  politics.  His  house  in  a  back  alley  is  extremely 
modest  and  execrably  furnished  in  the  foreign  style.  American  chromos  of 
familiar  type  desecrate  the  walls  of  his  reception  room,  and  the  rest  of  the 
furniture  is  little  better.      He  is  dressed  in  foreign   costume. 

On  returning  for  lunch  1  found  Nellie  fairly  comfortable,  so  at  her  request 
I  accompanied  the  Wilsons  to  lunch  at  the  Simpsons.  They  gave  us  a  charming 
reception  and  a  very  good  meal.  He  is  a  very  well  informed  man  and,  like  the 
other  foreigners  I  have  met  in  the  Orient,  strongly  anti-Japanese.  These  people 
cannot  see  that  sauce  for  the  goose  is  sauce  for  the  gander  and  are  horrified 
that  Japan  should  presume  to  do  to  China,  what  the  British,  French,  Russians 
and  Germans,  have  always  done  in  the  past.  As  a  practical  matter  I  readily 
concede  that  the  British,  anyhow,  administer  their  stolen  spheres  of  influence 
with  more  regard  to  the  welfare  of  the  natives,  but  from  the  point  of  ethics  I 
can  see  no   difference. 

After  lunch,  in  our  motor  and  theirs,  we  visited  the  Temple  of  Confucius 
and  the  Lama  Temple,  under  Mr.  Simpson's  guidance.  I  can  only  say  that, 
while  interesting,  the  Chinese  temples  I  have  seen  so  far  do  not  compare 
favorably  with  the  best  Japanese  temples. 

On  getting  back  to  the  hotel  1  found  that  Nellie's  temperature  had  gone 
up  to  101  degrees,  and  she  had  sent  for  the  Doctor  again.  He  did  not  come 
till  after  seven,  and  did  not  change  his  diagnosis.  As  long  as  she  had  no  pain 
except  a  slight  headache,  she  should  take  no  medicine,  but  simply  try  to  control 
her  temperature  and  make  herself  more  comfortable  by  ice  to  the  head  and 
alcohol  rubs. 

Mrs.  Chisholm  has  arrived  here.  She  has  had  a  difference  and  parted  with 
her  companion  and  trained  nurse,  Miss  Farr,  so  I  got  Miss  Farr  to  come  and 
spend  the  night  with  Nellie  as  it  might  be  a  comfort  to  her.  Miss  Farr  pro- 
nounced it  a  case  of  severe  cold  but  not  influenza. 

PEKING.  THANKSGIVING  DAY,  THURSDAY,  November  27,   1919. 

Nellie's  temperature  was  lower  this  morning  and  she  insisted  that  I  go  sight- 
seeing with  the  Wilsons.  We  went  to  the  Yellow  Temple  (Lama  religion),  very 
much  out  of  repair  but  interesting.  The  Japanese,  during  the  Boxer  war, 
destroyed  considerable  of  the  carving  of  the  White  Pagoda  (marble)  but  the 
figures  have  been  repaired.  Otherwise  everything  is  falling  rapidly  into  decay, 
as  the  Government  evidently  has  not  the  necessary  funds  to  keep  things  up, 
and  the  faithful  evidently  do  not  step  into  the  gap.  The  keepers  of  these 
temples  look  like  hoboes.  The  guide  pointed  out  one  whose  salary  was  $2.00 
per  month,  plus  the  meager  tips  of  foreign  visitors. 

On  our  way  back  we  visited  the  Temple  of  the  Universe.  The  dominant 
feature  of  this  is  a  series  of  alcoves  on  the  inside  facade  of  the  bulding,  sur- 
rounding a  square  court.  In  each  alcove  at  the  back  sits  one,  or  sometimes  two, 
painted  wooden  figures  of  heroic  size  representing  seventy-two  judges  admin- 
istering justice,  w^hich  means  punishment,  to  evil  doers,  who,  w^ith  their  accusers, 
are  represented  by  life  sized  figures  standing  by  each  side  of  the  alcove.  You 
will  see  a  decapitated  figure,  holding  his  head  by  the  long  hair  in  one  hand, 
and  with  the  other  hand  dragging  his  murderer  toward  the  judge.  The 
executioners  of  justice  can  be  seen  cutting  out  the  tongue,  gouging  out  the 
eye,  or  pulling  out  the  entrails  of  the  transgressor,  who  is  thus  made  to  realize 
that  his  way  is  hard.  A  grewsome  sight — and  I  was  not  astonished  that  the 
place  was  deserted  except  by  our  party  and  the  ragged  local  custodian. 

On    the    way    home    we    met    a    squadron    of    cavalry    on    little    Manchurian 


51 

ponies,  stout  little  beasts  1 3  to  14  hands  high.  Also  a  couple  of  funerals  and 
a  wedding.  The  former  are  so  frequent  as  to  be  no  longer  a  novelty,  but  it  was 
my  first  wedding.  The  central  figures  were  three  sedan  chairs  with  their 
porters;  the  first  one,  with  a  lady  occupant,  was  open  in  front  but  closed  on 
the  sides;  the  other  two  were  completely  closed  by  drawn  curtains.  The  lady 
in  the  first  was  probably  the  groom's  mother,  who  was  going  to  fetch  the 
bride  for  her  son  waiting  at  home.  The  other  two  chairs  were  for  the  bride 
and  some  female  relative  going  along  to  see  fair  play.  The  wedding  presents 
w^ere  carried  in  the  procession  by  hand  or  on  hand  carts.  We  passed  too 
quickly  for  me  to  make  an  inventory  but  I  saw^  a  couple  of  family  trees;  boxes 
containing  the  bride's  clothes,  etc.  I  was  told  in  Japan  that  every  newly 
married  couple  receives  the  same  kind  of  articles  for  presents,  be  they  of  high 
or  low  degree.  The  only  difference  is  in  the  quality  and  quantity.  This  saves  a 
lot  of  time  and  trouble.      I  don't  know  how  it  is  in  China. 

Our  guide,  Lin  Fu,  who  is  a  Catholic,  tells  me  that  he  never  saw  his  bride 
until  he  met  her  in  church  to  be  married.  He  relied  on  his  mother's  assurance 
that  she  was  a  good  girl,  of  good  appearance  and  would  make  him  a  good  wife. 
They  parted  at  the  church  and  it  was  only  two  days  later  that  the  home  coming, 
as  described  above,  took  place.  He  was  twenty  and  she  eighteen.  They  have 
had  six  children,  five  still  living.  His  oldest  daughter  is  married,  with  two 
children. 

On  getting  back  to  the  hotel  1  found  that  while  Nellie  still  had  fever,  she 
was  more  comfortable  and  not  at  all  alarmed  about  herself.  She  was  so  in- 
sistant  that  I  go  with  the  Wilsons  to  the  Thanksgiving  lunch  at  Commander 
Hutching's  house,  that  I  consented.  They  were  very  charming  and  cordial  and 
we  had  a  grand  lunch,  including  turkey.  There  were  fourteen  at  the  table,  all 
American  or  English  except  a  young  French  attache'  returning  to  France  from 
Tokyo.  He  gave  me  his  card:  Henri  Bardac,  1  Avenue  Montaigne,  Paris,  and 
pressed  me  to  let  him  know  when  we  reached  Paris  next  summer.  His  wife,  like 
Nellie,  w^as  indisposed. 

The  Simpsons  were  there  and  have  invited  us  to  a  large  Thanksgiving  tea 
of  fifty  people  this  afternoon.      The  Wilsons  are  going  but  I  declined. 

On  getting  back  to  the  hotel,  Nellie's  temperature  had  dropped  considerably, 
so  Mountford  and  1  went  out  while  Flora  stayed  with  her.  We  went  to  see  the 
Temple  of  Heaven  and  Altar  of  Heaven,  the  latter  a  large  raised  marble  platform 
where  sacrificial  (animal)  ceremonies  were  performed  up  to  the  fall  of  the 
Empire.  The  enclosure  of  the  temple  grounds  is  very  large  and  the  several 
buildings  are  roofed  with  blue  tile. 

The  doctor  came  in  again  tonight  and  told  me  that  Nellie  was  decidedly 
better  and  would  certainly  be  well  in  three  or  four  days.  But  think  what  the 
loss  of  that  time  means  to  her  in  Peking.  We  are  going  to  postpone  our  depar- 
ture from  here  to  Thursday  of  next  week  instead  of  Tuesday,  and  cut  that  time 
out  of  Shanghai. 

PEKING,  FRIDAY,  November  28,  1919. 
Nellie's  temperature  was  normal  and  pulse  also.  Doctor  Reed  says  we 
need  have  no  further  apprehension.  Peking  is  full  of  this  class  of  colds,  most  of 
them  more  severe  than  hers,  but  with  ordinary  care  they  are  not  dangerous. 
The  two  American  girls  travelling  alone,  the  Tylers  of  whom  1  wrote  at  Fusan, 
were  both  taken  down  with  them,  and  went  to  the  French  hospital  under  Doctor 
Reed's  care.  One  developed  a  temperature  of  104  degrees  but  is  now  much 
better. 


52 

This  forenoon  the  Wilsons  and  I  went  to  the  Imperial  museum  and  saw  the 
most  wonderful  collection  of  Chinese  art  treasures  in  the  world.  Even  I  was 
impressed  and  I  have  every  hope  that  Nellie  will  be  able  to  see  it  before  she 
leaves,  as  she  will  enjoy  it  tenfold  more  than  I. 

In  the  afternoon  Flora  went  out  with  Mrs.  Simpson,  while  Mountford  and  I 
visited  the  5 -pagoda  tower  and  the  Bell  Temple,  both  of  minor  interest. 
Mailed  at  Peking, 
November  28,    1919. 
Received  at  San  Francisco, 
December   30,    1919. 

PEKING,   SATURDAY,  November   29,    1919. 

Nellie  being  still  confined  to  her  room,  we  decided,  the  rest  of  us,  to  go  to 
the  Great  Wall,  which  is  a  hard,  all-day  trip,  and  one  that  she  must  reluctantly 
give  up  all  idea  of  taking.  So  the  Wilsons  and  1  started  at  eight  o'clock  for  the 
railroad  station,  which  was  in  an  uproar,  as  a  train  full  of  soldiers  had  insisted 
on  taking  the  right  of  way,  outside  of  their  turn,  thus  throwing  the  entire 
time-table  out  of  gear.  We  lost  over  an  hour  and  as  a  consequence  missed  our 
return  connection  and  arrived  back  at  the  hotel  at  7:00  instead  of  4:30.  Nellie 
was  naturally  very  anxious  and  upset  in  her  weakened  condition. 

From  the  terminus  of  the  railroad,  there  is  a  stiff  climb  of  twenty  minutes 
to  half  an  hour,  to  the  point  in  the  hills  where  we  struck  the  wall.  This  Flora 
and  I  and  Mrs.  Chisholm  did  in  chairs,  which  were  more  comfortable  than  those 
at  Miyanoshita.  The  rest  of  the  party  walked  and  we  all  walked  back,  except 
Mrs.  Chisholm.  There  was  a  fierce,  cold  wind  blowing  and  I  was  thankful  that 
Nellie  was  not  there.  1  will  not  attempt  to  describe  the  wall,  except  to  say  it  is 
over  1500  miles  long,  about  25  to  50  feet  high,  25  feet  thick  at  the  base  and  15 
feet  at  the  top.  It  is  imposing  as  you  see  it  from  the  railroad,  crawling  like  a  snake 
up  hill  and  down  dale,  but  when  you  get  on  it  you  wonder  it  could  have  stopped 
a  determined  army.  As  a  matter  of  fact  it  did  not,  as  it  was  forced  several 
times  at  weaker  points  than  where  we  inspected  it;  but  it  did  protect  against 
smaller  armies  and  marauding  parties.  Watch  towers  or  block  houses  form 
part  of  it  at  irregular  intervals,  from  which  danger  could  be  signalled  back 
and  forth  in  very  short  time. 

We  waited  in  the  cheerless  station  one  and  a  half  hours  for  our  return 
train,  which  took  nearly  three  hours  to  come  back  twenty-five  miles. 

PEKING,   SUNDAY,    November   30,    1919. 

We  all,  including  Nellie,  took  a  motor  and  went  to  see  the  Drum  Tower, 
Bell  Tower,  Coal  Hill  and  an  extensive  view  of  the  Winter  Palace.  This  took  up 
the  forenoon  and  as  Nellie  did  not  want  to  overdo,  and  the  rest  were  tired 
from  the  Great  Wall  trip,  we  loafed  and  played  bridge  in  the  afternoon.  Satur- 
day night  the  Wilsons  had  invited  the  Simpsons  to  dinner,  and  they  danced  in 
the  hotel  afterward  till  one  o'clock,  so  they  were  doubly  ready  to  rest. 

We  have  not  yet  heard  from  the  Railroad  Administration  about  getting  a 
private  car  from  Tientsin  to  Nanking,  but  we  are  using  all  our  new  friends  to 
help  Cook's  in  the  matter.  Mr.  Marye's  friend,  Leon  Tsine  Jen,  called  again 
and  arranged  for  his  nephew  to  take  us  on  Tuesday  the  2nd  to  several  points 
of  interest  that  require  special  permits. 

PEKING,    MONDAY,    December    I,    1919. 
All  started  about  ten   for   the   Imperial  Summer   Palace,    about   seven   miles 
outside   of  the   city  limits,    but  nearly   an   hour  by  motor  from   the   hotel,    which  j 


53 

is  on  the  opposite  edge  of  the  city.  The  Summer  Palace  is  composed  of  a 
number  of  palaces,  temples,  kiosks  and  other  buildings,  where  the  Imperial 
family  used  to  spend  the  warm  months  of  the  year,  and  where  you  are  shown 
the  actual  living  apartments  of  the  Dowager  Empress,  by  looking  through  the 
glass  entrance  doors.  You  can  see  the  portrait  of  the  Dowager  painted  by  Miss 
Carl,  an  American,  who  still  lives  in  Peking  and  whom  Flora  met;  also  Nellie, 
later.  Needless  to  say  that  during  the  Imperial  regime  no  visitors  ever  got  inside 
the  gate.  The  buildings  face  a  large  lake,  now  frozen,  and  are  grouped  on  a 
rather  steep  hillside,  tier  upon  tier,  some  three  hundred  steps  to  the  top.  They 
are  tiled  with  yellow,  blue  and  green  tiles,  and  the  day  being  a  glorious  one,  the 
view  looking  up  was  one  of  the  finest  imaginable;  quite  the  most  beautiful  thing 
I  have  seen  so  far  in  Peking.  The  grounds  must  cover  several  hundred  acres, 
and  one  of  the  sights  is  the  marble  boat,  alongside  the  bank  of  the  lake.  The 
hull  is  of  marble  and  the  top  cabins  of  wood.  Of  course  it  does  not  float,  but 
rests  either  on  the  bottom  or  on  some  support.  The  view  from  the  top  of  the 
hill  is  very  extensive  and  beautiful.  Nellie  did  not  attempt  the  steps  as  the  long 
walk  in  the  grounds  to  the  different  sights  was  quite  enough  after  her  sickness. 

At  least  half  a  dozen  of  the  ladies  that  w^e  k?ep  meeting,  going  along  the 
same  "trail"  as  ourselves,  have  been  taken  down  with  the  influenza  here.  They 
have  all  been  harder  hit  than  Nellie  and  several  of  them  are  at  the  French 
Hospital,  among  them  Dorothy  Dix,  the  writer.  They  all  have  Dr.  Thurlow  W. 
Reed,  our  doctor,  who  is  a  Commander  in  the  U.  S.  Navy.  He  has  been  very 
attentive   and    gives    no    unnecessary    medicine. 

The  Chinese  are  queer  in  many  ways.  The  Republican  government  gives 
a  very  large  pension  to  the  little  ex-Emperor,  (age  variously  stated  from  1 3 
to  15)  out  of  w^hich  he  supports  countless  retainers.  There  w^as  a  revolution 
some  time  ago  and  the  Empire  was  restored  for  about  a  month,  and  then 
collapsed  again.  Yet  the  big  pension  is  still  continued.  I  was  told  by  Mr. 
Cheng,  nephew  of  Minister  Leon  Tsine  Jen,  that  outside  of  the  cities  the  mass 
of  the  people  have  no  political  opinions  and  do  not  really  understand  representa- 
tive government.  The  President  has  a  certain  popularity  because  he  is  not  a 
military  man,  but  he  is  in  the  hands  of  the  military  oligarchy  that  controls  the 
government.  He  nominally  appoints  the  viceroys,  or  whatever  they  are  called, 
of  the  different  provinces,  but  in  reality  his  nominations  are  forced  upon  him. 
The  budget  for  the  army  and  navy  swallows  up  everything  and  education  and 
improvements  are  neglected.      Everything  looks  down  at  heel. 

In  the  evening  we  all  dined  at  the  Simpsons.  There  was  a  very  intelligent 
retired  Chinese  admiral,  but  I  had  little  chance  to  talk  to  him.  After  the  ladies 
retired  I  spoke  with  the  Portuguese  charge'  d'affaires,  who  has  been  all  over 
the  world,  including  Washington.  His  name  is  Nacemento.  He  was  born  in 
Madeira.  He  shares  my  opinion  that  the  Japs  have  not  behaved  any  worse 
toward  China  than  the  European  powers.  When  he  was  administrator  of  Lorenzo 
Marques,  the  Portuguese  colony  in  Africa,  Sir  Roger  Casement  was  British 
representative  there  and  was  his  intimate  friend.  Casement  was  one  of  the 
most  honest,  upright  men  he  ever  knew  and  at  that  time  was  a  great  upholder 
of  British  policy  through  thick  and  thin. 

PEKING,   TUESDAY,    December   2,    1919. 

This  morning  Mr.  Cheng  called  by  appointment  on  behalf  of  his  uncle,  who 

is  about  leaving  for  Tokyo,  to  take  us  sightseeing.      He  is  a   graduate  Bachelor 

of  Science   of  some   English   University   and   is   a   professor   of   Chemistry  at   the 

University  here.     As  a  guide  he  was  not  a  success  and  balled  up  everything  so. 


54 

in  conducting  us  over  the  Winter  Palace,  that  we  were  very  glad  to  say  we  had 
seen  everything  else  and  part  company.  The  Winter  Palace,  lake  and  grounds 
are  in  the  city  and  not  so  extensive  as  the  Summer  Palace.  It  is  fairly  interesting 
and  has  one  wonderfully  fine  feature — a  porcelain  wall  about  one  hundred  feet 
long,  fifteen  feet  high  and  two  feet  thick,  covered  on  both  sides  with  ornamenta- 
tion, the  most  beautiful  in  design  and  color.  We  also  visited  Coal  Hill,  in  the 
city,  for  the  view — and  a  Lama  temple.  We  are  thoroughly  tired  tonight  and 
thank  our  stars  that  we  did  not  accept  an  invitation  to  dine  at  the  Italian 
embassy,  where  Flora  and  Mountford  have  gone. 

Yesterday  we  were  delighted  to  get  Marie's  No.  2,  with  its  budget  of  en- 
closures; and  only  the  day  before  we  got  Herrod's  letter  of  October  15th, 
seven  weeks  on  the  way. 


N.S.O. 

PEKING,  December  7,  igig. 

Our  excursion  to  the  Winter  Palace  on  Tuesday  the  2nd  was  too  much  for  Boh; 
he  got  over  heated  and  tired;  and  after  long  waiting  around  at  the  Lama  Temple  for 
the  chanting  of  some  priests  {which  by  the  way  was  a  failure)  he  caught  an  extra 
cold  which  resulted  in  temperature,  etc.  We  were  all  packed  and  our  trunks  sent 
ahead  to  Shanghai  when  he  told  me  he  felt  feverish,  so  I  immediately  got  the  doctor, 
who  said  it  was  out  of  the  question  to  leave  on  the  morning  of  the  4th.  We  were/ 
all  awfully  disappointed,  and  the  Wilsons  very  much  more  so,  as  they  only  had  a 
shprt  time  in  Shanghai  before  sailing  for  Japan.  Bob  had  not  an  ache  or  pain,  his 
lungs  were  absolutely  free  from  any  filling  up,  but  his  temperature  kept  up  and 
would  not  go  down — yesterday  it  fell  a  little  and  last  night  dropped  to  normal,  with 
profuse  perspiration.  We  have  succeeded  in  getting  a  private  car,  in  which  we  are 
very  fortunate,  and  after  a  talk  with  the  doctor  this  morning  we  have  decided  to 
leave  for  Shanghai  in  the  morning.  At  our  urgent  request  the  Wilsons  left  yesterday 
morning  for  Shanghai; — there  was  absolutely  no  danger  to  Bob,  he  had  not  a  single 
bad  symptom  and  the  only  thing  for  him  to  do  was  to  avoid  getting  any  extra  cold, 
so  we  persuaded  the  Wilsons  to  go.  We  may  possibly  see  them  for  a  day  in  Shanghai 
but  they  had  to  make  their  connections  by  steamer  for  Japan  which  are  very 
difficult  as  there  is  so  much  travel. 

Although  I  think  this  is  a  very  attractive  place,  I  am  overjoyed  to  get  away  as 
there  is  so  much  sickness.  Every  hour  of  the  day  one  hears  of  some  one  being 
taken  ill.  I  met  Mrs.  Coleman  of  Santa  Barbara,  who  told  me  she  had  been  very 
ill  with  influenza — was  in  her  room  eighteen  days  and  has  been  out  ten  days  novdi 
but  feels  very  shaky.  Bob  and  I  feel  that  we  are  very  fortunate  as  we  had  such 
light  attacks.  The  proprietor  of  the  hotel  told  me  at  noon  today  that  he  had  been 
miserable  for  two  days  a7id  knew  he  had  influenza.  Apparently  it  is  those  new  to 
the  climate  who  get  these  colds,  and  they  certainly  get  them  in  shoals— there  does 
not  seem  to  be  any  epidemic  among  the  regular  residents  of  Peking. 

This  is  a  very  sociable  place  and  we  have  met  a  number  of  charming  people  and 
if  we  had  cared  to  we  could  have  gone  out  a  great  deal.  The  wife  of  Major  Norton 
of  the  Marine  Corps,  quarter-master  general  of  the  Legation  here,  is  a  cousin  of  the 
Breckinridges  and  consequently  of  the  children  of  Mrs.  Sharon;  she  and  Mrs. 
Simpson  and  Mrs.  Hutchings  have  been  most  attentive  a7id  sympathetic. 

While  Bob  was  laid  up  I  did  a  little  sight-seeing  and  visited  the  Imperial 
Museum — he  has  spoken  of  this  before  but  I  want  to  add  that  I  have  never  visited 
any  museum  in  Europe  with  the  beautiful,  priceless  treasures  that  this  contains. 


55 

It  is  useless  to  go  into  details  but  it  is  one  of  the  greatest  treats  I  have  ever  had  to 
look  on  these  gems  of  Chinese  art. 

We  were  delighted  to  learn  from  Cook's  that  they  have  secured  our  cabins  o^ 
the  "K  ash  gar"  (gooo  tons)  of  the  P.&  0.  line,  sailing  from  Hong  Kong  for  Singapore 
on  December  2gth.  She  is  one  of  the  intermediate  size  of  the  P.  &*  0.  steamers,  a 
comparatively  new  boat,  running  from  Hong  Kong  to  England. 

The  only  large  boats  are  the  French,  but  we  are  glad  to  be  on  an  English 
steamer. 


PEKING.  MONDAY,  December  8,  1919. 
Started  this  morning  at  8:30  for  Shanghai  via  Tientsin  and  Nanking.  By 
private  car  overnight  to  Nanking,  or  rather  to  Pukow,  on  the  north  side  of 
the  Yantze  Kiang  River,  whence  we  ferry  across  to  Nanking.  There  we  take 
the  regular  train,  arriving  at  Shanghai  at  9:30  P.  M.  of  the  9th.  The  car  was 
self  heated  by  a  Baker  heater  of  insufficient  capacity.  The  main  saloon  was  all 
right,  but  the  sleeping  compartment  at  the  other  end  was  so  cold  that  Nellie  and 
I  slept  in  the  saloon,  on  the  sofa  and  an  improvised  bed.  At  that  we  nearly 
froze  during  the  night.  The  toilet  was  filthy  and  there  was  one  little  towel  as 
the  sole  equipment  of  the  car.  When  we  demanded  more  the  porter  brought  us 
two  wet  and  used  towels — and  there  were  no  more.  The  waiter  who  brought 
our  meals  from  the  diner  was  the  only  efficient  person  on  board,  and  through 
him  we  got  towels  from  the  regular  train  cars.  The  extra  cost  of  this  car  we 
were  first  told  would  be  $1  13.00,  but  actually  the  bill  was  $214.50,  and  this  was 
much  exceeded,  owing  to  extras.  We  wrote  back  to  Cook's  for  redress,  but  in 
vain.  As  an  example  of  how  trains  are  run,  I  will  cite  that  our  car  was  at  the 
end  of  the  train  and  was  so  private  that  the  train  crew  was  not  allowed  to  go 
through  it;  so  between  stations  no  one  knew  if  our  signal  lights  were  in  order 
or  not.  The  distance  between  Peking  and  Shanghai  is  about  nine  hundred  miles 
and  we  covered  it  in  3  7  hours,  which  is  not  so  bad. 

Our  route  ran  through  some  of  the  most  fertile  parts  of  China,  but  as  there 
are  no  crops  at  this  season,  1  would  not  have  known  it.  The  land  is  clayey  and 
all  the  village  buildings  are  made  of  adobe.  The  Chinese  must  always  have  a 
wall  around  their  cities,  villages  or  huts — it  may  be  of  adobe  bricks,  or  plain 
mud,  or  even  corn  stalks,  but  always  a  wall.  There  were  evidences  of  greater 
prosperity  than  north  of  Peking.  More  cattle,  pigs  and  goats.  The  climate 
also  gradually  grows  milder. 

Dotted  along  the  landscape  continuously  one  sees  conical  mounds  of 
earth,  from  two  feet  to  twenty  feet  in  base  diameter,  marking  graves, 
generally  in  groups  of  five  to  ten;  sometimes  single  and  sometimes  numbering 
up  to  fifty  or  a  hundred.  Occasionally,  where  there  is  an  important  group, 
the  land  may  be  planted  to  trees,  but  generally  the  graves  are  right  in 
the  middle  of  the  fields  and  agricultural  work  has  to  go  around  them.  This 
makes  impossible  any  work  except  by  hand  or  with  the  old  forked  stick  plow, 
drawn  by  one  or  two  oxen  or  cows.  Rice  is  the  staple  crop  and  of  course 
irrigated,  though  I  did  not  see  how  this  is  done.  The  land  is  in  much  larger 
tracts  and  not  so  minutely   handled  as  in  Japan. 

1  saw  that  the  rainfall  was  70  inches  in  Canton,  representing  South  China; 
30  inches  in  Shanghai,  or  middle  China;  and  16  inches  in  Tientsin,  or  northern 
China.  We  found  Shanghai  mild  and  rainy,  somewhat  like  San  Francisco  at 
this  same  season,  instead  of  cold  and  dry  like  Peking. 


56 

We  had  telegraphed  the  Wilsons  that  we  were  coming  and  it  was  lucky  that 
we  did.  They  had  been  given  a  wretched  little  room  for  two  days  and  we 
would  have  had  the  same  but  for  their  insistent  efforts.  We  cannot  trust  Cook's 
to  get  us  good  hotel  accommodations  since  we  parted  with  the  Japanese  guide, 
Tominaga,  and  even  he  failed  us  some  times,  although  he  was  very  good  on  the 
whole.  The  principle  of  an  "inclusive  trip"  i.e.,  everything  paid  for,  while  it 
saves  trouble,  is  wrong  because  it  is  against  Cook's  interest  to  get  the  expensive 
rooms.  We  must  ponder  this  problem  before  making  new  arrangements  with 
Cook's  at  Hong  Kong.  As  it  was,  the  Wilsons  met  us  at  the  station  and  con- 
ducted us  to  a  very  good  room  where  our  baggage  was  already  placed,  having 
gone  ahead  with  theirs. 

SHANGHAI,  WEDNESDAY,  December  10,  1919. 
This  morning  I  cabled:  "Absco,"  San  Francisco.  "Happy  returns  to  Ben. 
Both  well.  Sailing  14th"  and  I  hope  it  will  reach  destination  promptly  and 
show  our  dear  brother  that  we  thought  especially  of  him  today.  We  got  some 
mail  here;  a  letter  from  Sallie  of  November  2nd;  from  Marie  (No.  3)  of  7th, 
and  one  from  Herrord  of  October  26th.  No  papers.  Needless  to  say  they  were 
appreciated  but  we  wish  the  rest  of  the  family  would  brace  up. 

Mr.  Lover  of  Cook's  is  most  courteous  and  seems  anxious  to  please,  but 
he  has  given  us  the  most  inefficient  thing  in  the  way  of  a  guide  that  should  be 
allowed  out  of  a  feeble  minded  home.      He  claims  there  are  no  better. 

It  now  seems  as  if  the  "Empress  of  Russia",  our  steamer,  and  the  same  one 
that  we  crossed  in  to  Japan  on  her  previous  trip,  might  not  leave  before  the  1  6th. 
This  will  give  us  very  little  time  in  Manila,  unless  our  connection  there  for 
Hong  Kong,  the  "Ecuador",  is  also  delayed,  as  seems  likely.  In  this  case  our 
connection  with  the  "Kashgar"  for  Singapore  may  be  jeopardized,  but  she  too 
is  not  likely  to  leave  Hong  Kong  before  January  1st.  She  was  in  port  here  and 
we  had  planned  to  go  aboard  and  inspect  our  future  cabin,  but  she  sailed  away 
before  we  could  manage  it. 

Mountford  and  I  called  and  presented  my  letter  from  Mr.  MacDonald  of 
Scotia,  to  Gordon  Mackie,  and  he  gave  us  cards  for  the  Shanghai  Club  and 
invited  us  to  lunch  at  his  house  tomorrow.  Mrs.  Mackie  will  call  on  the  ladies. 
The  Wilsons  had  got  in  touch  with  Mrs.  Chandler  Howard,  and  we  are  to  take 
tea  at  her  daughter's  house.  Her  son-in-law,  Mr.  Atkinson,  sent  cards  for  the 
American  Club.  Mountford  and  I  dropped  into  both  places.  The  bar  of  the 
Shanghai  Club  is  1  1  0  feet,  3  inches  long,  the  longest  in  the  world,  and  they  say 
that  at  twelve  o'clock  it  cannot  accommodate  the  thirsty  who  stand  three  or  four 
deep — we  were  there  in  the  afternoon. 

Mrs.  Chisholm  is  here  and  her  conductor,  Mr.  Kelly,  is  trying  to  induce  her 
to  give  up  going  around  the  world  and  return  from  Hong  Kong  home  via 
Honolulu. 

SHANGHAI,  THURSDAY,  December  11,  1919. 
There  is  very  little  to  do  in  the  sight-seeing  line  in  Shanghai.  It  is  a  big 
commercial  emporium,  doing  the  bulk  of  the  foreign  trade  of  China,  and  its 
charm  is  the  charm  of  its  foreign  population.  We  had  a  delicious  lunch  at  the 
Mackie's,  and  she  asked  us  to  the  Country  Club  for  tea  this  afternoon,  and  for 
dinner  and  bridge  on  Saturday.  Later  we  had  tea  at  the  Atkinson's,  where 
Mrs.  Howard  lives.  She  is  suffering  from  a  broken  collar  bone,  the  result  of 
a  fall.  Her  other  daughter,  who  went  to  school  with  Ruth  at  Santa  Barbara, 
is  also  married  and  has  two  children.  They  live  in  Japan,  where  most  of  Mrs. 
Howard's  interests  are. 


57 

Nellie  and  Flora  went  yesterday  to  the  Convent  to  see  about  Sallie's  cur- 
tains, but  the  prices  were  out  of  sight.  I  figured  that  they  would  cost  Sallie 
at  least  $80.00  per  pair  and  Nellie  gave  it  up.  She  bought  however  a  filet  lace 
tablecloth  for  Ruth's  Christmas  present  and  Flora  is  taking  it  home  for  her. 

This  is  our  last  day  with  the  Wilsons  and  we  are  feeling  extremely  sad  about 
it.  They  go  aboard  the  "Chickugo  Maru"  tonight,  sailing  at  six  tomorrow 
morning  for  Nagasaki,  and  leave  Yokohama  on  the  28th  for  Seattle. 

SHANGHAI,    FRIDAY,    December    12,    1919. 

We  are  alone  again  and  taking  it  very  easily.  I  left  Charlie  Gove's  letters 
for  Admirals  Rogers  and  Gleaves  at  the  Consulate  with  my  cards,  to  be  de- 
livered to  them  when  they  come  into  port  (Admiral  Gleaves  in  a  few  days).  I 
also  went  to  the  Consul  of  the  Netherlands,  Mr.  J.  A.  Schuurman,  and  found 
him  to  be  a  young  man  who  had  arrived  in  San  Francisco  on  the  day  the 
Exposition  closed,  and  stayed  two  years  working  under  Mr.  Torchiana.  He  read 
over  the  introductions  given  me  in  Dutch  by  the  latter  and  said  they  were  to 
the  very  best  people  and  would  open  everything  to  us.  We  also  went  to  the 
P.  &  O.  office  and  learned  that  the  "Kashgar"  would  not  sail  from  Hong  Kong 
before  January  3rd.  This  gives  us  ample  time  and  our  stay  in  Manila  will  only 
be  measured  by  the  time  between  the  arrival  of  the  "Empress  of  Russia"  and 
the  departure  for  Hong  Kong  of  the  "Ecuador".     This  is  still  uncertain. 

I  am  continuing  regularly  with  my  massage  and  with  most  beneficial  effects, 
as  the  muscles  of  my  left  shoulder  and  hand  have  lost  much  of  their  stiffnes*. 
The  comparative  progress  is  slower  than  at  first,  as  is  natural,  but  I  am  more 
than  satisfied.  I  only  hope  that  I  may  find  it  possible  to  continue  these  treat- 
ments as  we  proceed,  but  it  will  undoubtedly  be  more  difficult,  as  Japan  is  the 
home  of  massage. 

Since  landing  in  Yokohama,  just  two  months  ago,  (and  it  seems  much 
longer)  I  have  had  twelve  different  masseurs,  all  Japanese,  but  of  both  sexes 
and  of  every  age  and  appearance.  The  price  has  run  from  1  yen  (50  cents) 
to  $2.00,  the  latter  in  Peking.  They  all  differ  somewhat  in  treatment,  and 
greatly  in  efficiency.  I  have  just  now  the  best,  or  perhaps  the  second  best,  at 
$1.50  per.      Most  of  them  have  known  a  few  words  of  English. 

The  prices  of  everything  in  China  are  simply  outrageous.  This  can  be 
accounted  for  by  the  rise  in  world's  values  and  by  the  price  of  silver  in  many 
cases,  but  the  latter  feature  should  on  the  contrary  tend  to  make  imported 
articles  cheaper  here,  which  they  are  not.  Then  when  it  is  a  case  of  merely 
personal  service  one  would  think  that  the  ample  labor  of  China  would  make 
such  things  cheaper  than  with  us,  but  such  is  not  the  case.  As  an  example, 
I  had  my  hair  cut  and  beard  trimmed  in  this  hotel  and  they  charged  me  $1.20 
Mexican  or  $1.44  U.  S.  Money.  This  is  nearly  double  the  price  in  a  San 
Francisco  hotel,  and  yet  the  Chinese  barber  here  surely  does  not  get  one-half 
the  wages  of  the  American  barber.  It  must  be  a  question  of  "squeezing"  the 
tourist.  On  the  other  hand  some  things  are  very  reasonable.  For  instance, 
Nellie  has  had  a  dress  copied  in  charmeuse  for  $37.00,  and  in  pongee  for  $28.00. 
These  are  for  the  Tropics.  I  am  going  to  wait  till  1  get  to  Hong  Kong  for  my 
outfit. 

Nellie  has  given  up  the  idea  of  buying  curtains  for  herself  here  as  the 
prices  are  too  high  and  she  thinks  she  can  do  better  in  Italy. 

1  was  interviewed  last  night  by  the  reporter  of  the  China  Press,  the 
American  paper  here,  on  the  subject  of  sugar  prices  but  it  is  not  of  sufficient 
interest  to  insert  here. 


58 

This  afternoon  we  motored  to  the  Shanghai  (English)  Country  Club  to^ 
take  tea  with  Mrs.  Gordon  Mackie,  who  showed  us  over  the  club.  It  is  spacioua. 
and  comfortable.  The  grounds  must  be  charming  in  warm  weather,  but  were 
brown  and  leafless  now.  I  compared  the  climate  of  Shanghai  to  San  Francisco, 
a  while  back,  but  this  does  not  apply  at  all  to  the  vegetation. 

Mailed  from   Shanghai,  | 

December    13th,    1919. 
Received  at  San  Francisco, 
January    16th,    1920. 

SHANGHAI,  SATURDAY,  December    13,    1919. 

Had  massage  at  8:00  a.  m.  as  the  woman  could  not  come  in  the  afternoon 
or  evening.  Took  things  quietly  in  the  forenoon.  After  lunch  we  started  for 
a  motor  drive  and  happening  to  meet  Miss  Farr,  we  took  her  along.  We  went 
along  the  Bund,  or  waterfront,  of  the  International,  French  and  Chinese  cities;;  ^ 
quite  interesting,  with  the  bustling  activity  of  this  great  seaport,  carried  on  \ 
through  thousands  of  junks,  whose  masts  look  like  a  forest  from  the  shore  a» 
they  lie  moored  to  each  other,  dozens  deep,  out  from  the  dock.  We  went 
several  miles  out  of  the  city  and  saw  the  Loong-wha-sz  Pagoda,  and  the  statue 
and  temple  dedicated  to  Li  Hung  Chang. 

In  the  evening  we  dined  at  the  Gordon  Mackies;  the  other  guests  were  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Beeth  (Scotch  banker),  Mr.  Trueman,  who  as  a  bachelor  spent  some 
time  in  California  and  was  much  smitten  with  Inez  Dibblee,  and  a  Mrs.  Massey. 

Very   good  dinner  with   bridge   afterwards.      I   won   $15.00   and   Nellie   $21.00 

playing  for    I /2c  and    Ic    respectively.      These   people   have   certainly   put   them- 
selves out  to  be  polite  to  us  and  we  appreciate  it  very  much. 

In  the  lobby  of  the  hotel  during  the  afternoon  Consul  General  Cunningham 
and  w^ife  asked  us  to  sit  down  for  a  cup  of  tea.  They  were  at  table  with  Mrs. 
Harold  Dollar,  one  of  our  fellow  passengers  on  the  "Russia".  As  a  result  we 
all  accepted  an  invitation  to  lunch  at  the  Dollars*  tomorrow   (Sunday). 

Our  dear  little  maid  Saku  was  quite  anxious  to  meet  here  some  people 
whose  children  she  took  care  of  in  Yokohama  over  twenty  years  ago.  We  un- 
derstood the  name  was  Lord,  and  could  not  locate  them  either  by  that  name  or 
that  of  the  children,  Robert  and  Daisy — those  were  the  only  clews.  Today  she 
found  them  through  a  Japanese  guide  that  she  knew  and  who  has  a  party  under 
his  charge  at  the  hotel.  It  turns  out  that  the  name  is  Roth;  mother  American, 
father  French  (probably  Jewish).  She  is  overjoyed  and  they  will  take  her  to 
their  home  tomorrow. 

SHANGHAI,    SUNDAY,    December    14,     1919. 

A  day  of  rest  except  for  the  luncheon  at  the  Dollars*.  She  was  in  the 
party  with  Mr.  Stetson,  when  he  visited  Japan  some  years  ago,  and  sang  his 
praises.  The  Cunninghams  were  the  only  other  guests.  Afterwards  Cunning- 
ham and  Harold  Dollar  had  to  go  for  a  few  minutes  to  present  themselves  at  the 
funeral  of  a  prominent  Chinese  Christian.  In  the  meantime  Mrs.  Dollar  showed 
us  some  wonderful  table  and  bed  linen  that  she  has  had  made  at  the  convents 
here.  We  got  back  to  the  hotel  by  four  o*clock.  At  Mrs.  Dollar*s  suggestion 
we  have  arranged  with  Dr.  Ransome,  American  health  officer  of  Shanghai,  who 
is  her  doctor  and  the  Cunninghams,'  to  be  vaccinated,  and  also  probably  takej 
the  typhoid  serum,  before  we  leave.  How  it  is  that  we  did  not  think  of  this! 
before  leaving  home,  and  how  it  is  that  our  Doctors  did  not  think  of  it  for  us,  ij 
cannot  imagine.  It  seems  an  elementary  precaution.  Mrs.  Melville  Dollar  was 
here  two  years  ago,  refused  to  be  vaccinated,  contracted  smallpox  and  died. 


59 

While  I  was  being  massaged,  cards  came  up  from  Mr.  Stewart  Parker 
Elliott,  whose  name  we  did  not  know.  Nellie  went  dow^n  and  he  proved  to  be  a 
friend  of  Mrs.  Sayre  near  Fresno,  California,  whom  we  had  met  at  the  Schwerins,' 
and  who  had  written  to  him  to  look  us  up.  He  is  a  man  of  thirty-five  to  forty, 
tall  and  good  looking,  born  in  Santa  Barbara,  and  the  managing  director  here  of 
Grace  and  Company.  He  was  in  Petrograd  when  Freeman  got  sick  there  and 
came  home,  leaving  the  finishing  up  of  the  beet  seed  business  for  the  American 
Beet  Sugar  Co.  in  the  hands  of  Grace  and  Company.  He  got  out  of  Russia  and 
shipped  to  New  York  all  the  seed  that  came  via  Archangel.  He  invited  us  to 
lunch    tomorrow. 

SHANGHAI,    MONDAY,    December     15,     1919. 

Miss  Farr,  the  trained  nurse,  was  paid  in  part  by  Mrs.  Chisholm  with  an 
American  check   for  $485.00.      This   1   cashed   for   her. 

Mr.  Elliott  called  for  us  at  12:30  and  took  us  to  the  apartment  on  the  Bund 
where  he  keeps  house  with  a  friend,  an  American  oculist.  It  is  quite  a  luxurious 
apartment,  six  flights  up,  with  a  magnificent  view^  of  the  river  or  harbor.  House- 
keeping is  made  easy  for  them  by  confining  their  dealings  to  one  man,  their  "No. 
1  boy",  so  called,  who  hires  and  fires  all  servants,  buys  everything  and  runs 
everything.  This,  more  or  less,  is  the  Oriental  custom  everywhere.  Mr.  Elliott 
further  gave  me  a  general  letter  of  recommendation  to  all  the  Grace  houses  or 
agencies,  of  which  there  are  nearly  a  hundred,  all  over  the  world,  that  may 
prove  very  useful. 

In  the  afternoon  we  went  to  Dr.  Ransome's  office  and  were  vaccinated.  We 
decided  not  to  take  the  typhoid  serum  at  the  same  time.  The  doctor  says 
vaccination  is  most  necessary,  as  the  Oriental  smallpox  is  much  more  virulent 
than  the  same  disease  at  home. 

During  the  day  Nellie  and  Saku  packed  up  and  I  settled  with  Saku,  giving 
her  a  good  bonus,  which  she  richly  deserves.  We  feel  as  if  we  were  parting  with 
an  old  and  trusted  servant  of  long  standing. 

SHANGHAI,  TUESDAY,  December  16,  1919. 
Our  trunks  left  at  8:30  a.  m.  and  at  9:30  we  went  by  motor  with  Cook's 
man  to  the  custom  house  wharf,  where  w^e  boarded  a  tender  that  at  ten  o'clock 
left  for  the  "Empress  of  Russia",  anchored  in  the  stream  about  ten  miles  down 
the  river.  We  have  a  cabin  with  bath  on  the  upper  deck  and  supposed  to  be 
superior  to  the  one  from  Vancouver,  but  it  is  less  roomy, — has  no  sofa — and 
[  we  would  have  preferred  the  old  one.  We  have  to  sleep  in  upper  and  lower, 
instead  of  using  the  sofa  as  a  bed  and  raising  the  upper.  However,  it  is  only 
for  three  nights.  We  had  expected  to  sail  at  noon  and  arrive  in  Manila  Friday 
morning,  but  the  unloading  of  the  cargo  was  delayed  until  we  missed  the  tide, 
and  consequently  only  started  at  2:00  a.  m.  Wednesday.  This  will  bring  us  into 
Manila   Friday  afternoon, 

Mrs.  Chisholm  is  on  the  steamer  with  us  and  we  also  found  again  some 
Vancouver  passengers  of  the  last  trip.  Notably  a  Mrs.  Baker  of  New  York, 
but  formerly  of  Baltimore,  who  knows  Mary  Schwerin  very  well.  She  also  knew 
Mrs.  St.  Cyr.  She  has  four  grown  up  children  with  her  and  after  a  stay  of  some 
weeks  in  Manila,  she  w^ill  return  to  Yokohama  and,  when  she  can  get  proper 
accommodations,   will   sail    direct   from   Yokohama    to   Europe. 

WEDNESDAY  AND  THURSDAY,  December  1  7  and  18.  1919. 
At  sea:    weather  getting  milder;    sea  calm;    all  quiet  except  a   company  of 
movie   actors  who   are   taking  pictures — abduction   of   heroine   by  villain   and  all 


60 

the   rest  of  it.      Mrs.    Chisholm  and   Nellie  spend  a    great   deal   of   time  together. 

I  am  drawing  money  against  my  sterling  credit  and  I  can  see  that  English 
exchange  is  dropping  steadily.  The  parity  of  the  Pound  Sterling  in  the  United 
States  must  be  about  $3.75  and  must  cause  a  very  serious  situation.  Mean- 
while I  see  that  our  Senate  still  holds  up  the  ratification  of  the  peace  treaty, 
while  stable  institutions  all  over  the  world  seem  crumbling  to  pieces.  It  seems 
most  short  sighted  and  selfish  to  me. 

I  have  talked  with  several  people,  among  them  our  friend  McGregor,  re- 
garding the  Japanese  menace  as  regards  the  Pacific  Coast.  They  all  think  that, 
if  it  ever  existed,  it  has  completely  disappeared.  The  Japanese  fully  realize 
that  it  would  be  madness  to  attempt  aggressive  measures  against  us  and  par- 
ticularly   against    the    Continental    United    States. 

I  am  going  to  give  this  letter  now  to  the  Purser  to  be  kept  on  the  ship,  as 
this  promises  to  be  the  quickest  way  to   get  it  home. 
Mailed  at  sea,  December   18,    1919    (Shanghai  to  Manila). 
Received  at  San  Francisco,  January   19,    1920. 

AT   SEA,    FRIDAY,   December    19,    1919. 

Yesterday  the  steamer  sailed  south  along  the  outer  or  eastern  shore  of 
Formosa,  whose  high  mountain  peaks  made  an  imposing  sky  line.  This  morn- 
ing we  are  skirting  the  western  shore  of  the  Island  of  Luzon,  on  which  Manila 
is  situated.  This  also  is  mountainous.  We  had  been  told  that  we  would  arrive 
at  Manila  in  the  early  afternoon  but  the  "Russia"  has  been  making  poor  tinie 
and  now  it  is  a  question  if  we  will  reach  port  before  six  o'clock.  The  alternative 
would  be  spending  the  night  in  quarentine.  We  finally  did  just  make  it  but 
almost  to  our  regret  as  v^e  landed  on  the  dock  in  the  dark,  and  only  got  our 
hand  baggage  passed  by  the  Custom  House.  On  reaching  the  hotel  we  found 
a  pretty  good  room  engaged  by  Cook's,  but  too  small  for  our  large  amount  of 
baggage.  I  had  a  letter  of  introduction  to  the  Manager,  Mr.  Butz,  from  Mr. 
Hannam,  who  spent  several  w^eeks  here  last  winter.  He  is  a  very  amiable  in- 
dividual, though  not  a  very  thorough  hotel  keeper,  and  he  promised  us  two 
rooms  tomorrow,  w^hen  the  "Russia"  sails  away  again.  I  may  state  here  that  he 
kept  his  word,  and  we  may  consider  ourselves  very  fortunate  as  the  passengers 
arriving  two  days  later  on  the  "Ecuador",  (many  of  whom  are  our  travelling 
acquaintances  along  the  "trail")  could,  many  of  them,  get  no  hotel  accommoda- 
tions anywhere,  and  were  forced  to  remain  on  the  ship  during  their  stay  here, 
in  the  greatest  discomfort. 

The   Manila  Hotel  is  a   fine  building,   only  a   short  distance   from  the   docks 
and  fronting  the   harbor.      Its   lobby,   brilliantly  illuminated,   and  filled  with  men 
and  women   in   white   or   light   colored   clothes,    looked  very  attractive   and   pre- 
possessed us  immediately  in  favor  of  the  place,  toward  which  my  love  for  things  \ 
Spanish  also  leaned.  | 


CHAPTER  IV. 
'The  Philippines 


65 

MANILA,  SATURDAY,  December  20,   1919. 

We  have  now  reached  the  end  of  our  "inclusive"  trip,  aa  Cook's  only  allows 
:$  100.00  for  hotel  and  sightseeing  in  Manila,  which  is  only  a  white  chip  in 
'Oriental  travelling. 

After  going  to  the  docks  to  pass  our  large  trunks,  I  went  to  Cook's  and 
arranged  to  take  a  motor  tomorrow  morning  and  go  to  Baguio,  the  "summer 
■capital",  about  180  miles  north  and  5,000  feet  up  in  the  mountains.  Mrs. 
Chisholm  is  also  going  in  her  motor. 

Before  this  however,  and  while  we  were  at  breakfast,  the  telephone  rang 
and  it  was  Mrs.  Frances  Burton  Harrison,  wife  of  the  Governor  General.  They 
had  heard  we  were  coming  through  Henry  Scott,  and  she  wanted  to  know  our 
plans  with  a  view  to  doing  something  to  entertain  us.  She  regretted  that  the 
palace  was  under  repair  and  they  could  not  ask  us  to  stay  with  them.  When 
she  heard  we  were  going  to  Baguio  the  next  morning  she  said  they  were  going 
themselves  on  the  following  day,  to  stay  over  the  holidays,  and  wanted  us  to 
wait  over  and  motor  up  together.  The  upshot  was  that  owing  to  their  engage- 
ments and  ours,  that  very  night  was  the  only  one  when  we  could  dine  with  them 
and  it  was  so  arranged.  She  asked  if  we  knew  anyone  there  that  we  would 
like  to  meet  but  we  did  not,  and  she  said  she  would  have  the  Fairchilds,  he  being 
about  the  most  prominent  sugar  man  here.  I  knew  of  him  as  Welch's  partner 
in  the  San  Carlos  plantation,  and  I  found  later  that  I  had  met  him  in  Washington 
during  the  hearing  on  Cuban  reciprocity.  It  developed  that  the  Fairchilds  had 
another  dinner  engagement  which  they  broke,  as  apparently  an  invitation  from 
the  Governor  is  considered  as  a  command  that  takes  precedence  over  any  other 
engagement. 

To  close  the  incident,  we  dined  at  eight  in  the  palatial  quarters  that  once 
"Were  the  home  of  the  Spanish  Captain  General.  There  w^ere  eighteen  at  table 
and  we  had  the  places  of  honor.  It  would  be  impossible  to  get  a  more  hearty 
and  cordial  reception  than  was  given  us.  Mrs.  Harrison  is  not  over  twenty  and 
a  beautiful  woman  in  face  and  figure,  as  well  as  charming  in  manner.  Virginia 
Harrison,  Adeline's  friend,  had  gone  to  one  of  the  army  posts,  and  they  were 
going  to  pick  her  up  on  their  way  to  Baguio;  so  we  did  not  see  her,  which  I 
regretted.  The  Governor  says  that  she  constantly  refers  to  Adeline  as  her  best 
friend.  1  will  cite,  as  an  example  of  how  amiable  Harrison  wanted  to  be,  that 
he  told  Nellie  he  was  going  to  cable  the  Governor  General  of  the  Dutch  East 
Indies  that  I  was  going  to  Java  as  a  representative  of  the  United  States  sugar 
industry.      I  was  surprised  beyond  expression  at  all  these  attentions. 

After  dinner,  about  ten  thirty,  they  started  to  play  bridge,  but,  as  we  had  to 
get  up  early  to  start  for  Baguio,  we  went  home,  accompanied  by  General  Jones 
(of  the  Constabulary),  the  Governor's  Aide  de  Camp,  who  had  also  called  for 
us  to  take  us  to  dinner  in  an  official  motor. 

While  I  was  at  the  Custom  House  dock  in  the  morning,  Mr.  Fairchild  sent 
up  his  card  and  Nellie  went  down  to  see  him.  He  took  her  in  his  motor,  came 
down  to  the  dock  to  meet  me  and  when  I  had  finished  with  the  trunks  he  drove 
us  all  over  the  city,  showing  us  the  sights,  including  the  North  Cemetery,  which 
is  in  part  a  beautiful  park.  Then  we  went  down  south  along  the  Bay  Shore 
to  a  bathing  resort  called  Pasay,  where  he  expected  to  meet  Mrs.  Fairchild 
and  give  us  lunch,  but  we  had  to  refuse  as  Nellie  had  several  things  to  do  to  get 
ready  for  the  Governor's  dinner.  Near  Pasay  he  showed  us  about  ten  acres  of 
land  on  the  beach  shore  that  he  has  recently  bought  for  a  home.  There  is  a 
bungalow  on  it  that  he  is  renovating,  as  the  cost  and  the  difficulty  of  bulding  are 


64 

just   now  prohibitive.      The    grounds   are   old   and   very  attractive  and   he   is   im- 
proving these  also.      We  motored  back  to  the  city,  partly  along  the  beach. 

After  lunch  I  presented  letters  from  Hannam  to  some  of  the  officers  of 
the  Pacific  Commercial  Company,  who  are  the  agents  for  the  Calamba  Sugar 
Company,  about  forty  miles  north,  and  for  the  Del  Carmen  Sugar  Company,  in 
Pampango  Province,  about  one  hundred  miles  away.  The  Calamba  Company, 
the  stock  of  which  is  quoted  in  San  Francisco,  is  owned  principally  by  Ehrman, 
Fleishacker,  Sutro,  etc.,  and  this  company  also  owns  one-half  the  stock  of  the 
Pampango  plantation,  the  other  half  being  owned  by  the  Spreckels  Brothers. 
Hannam  seems  to  have  charge  of  the  San  Francisco  end.  They  courteously 
arranged  to  take  me  to  Calamba,  the  only  one  my  time  permitted  me  to  see, 
next  Tuesday. 

In  addition  to  the  San  Carlos  plantation,  Mr.  Fairchild  (Welch,  Fairchild 
&  Co.,  Inc.)  manages  the  Mindoro  Island  plantation  for  Horace  Havemeyer, 
and  in  fact  is  apparently  interested  in  several  others.  Mindoro  was  started 
some  nine  years  ago  and  went  through  all  the  vicissitudes  of  a  pioneer  enterprise. 
It  owns  55,000  acres  of  land  and  was  nearly  wrecked  by  starting  to  plant  its  cane 
in  the  stiff  clay  soils,  adapted  only  to  rice.  This  is  being  gradually  corrected 
and  this  year  they  expect  to  make  $1,000,000.  Havemeyer  turned  it  over  to 
Fairchild  to  see  if  anything  could  be  worked  out  of  an  apparently  hopeless 
proposition.  Of  course  under  present  conditions  sugar  producers  cannot  help 
making  big  money. 

I  will  anticipate  and  finish  here  the  sugar  subject  by  saying  that  I  left  for 
Calamba  on  Tuesday  at  11a.  m.  with  a  Mr.  Young,  who  had  been  sent  to  take 
charge  of  me.  Mr.  H.  B.  Pond,  the  Vice-President  (who  tried  to  entertain  us 
at  dinner)  and  Mr.  A.  D.  Cooper,  Manager  of  the  Sugar  Department  of  the 
Pacific  Commercial  Company,  were  both  busy  with  Mr.  Loewenstein,  President 
of  the  Company,  who  had  just  arrived  on  the  "Ecuador"  for  a  visit  of  inspection. 
He  lives  now  in  New  York,  formerly  in  San  Francisco,  and  is  the  brother-in-law^ 
of  Oscar  Sutro.  This  Pacific  Commercial  Company  has  a  vast  importing  and 
exporting  business  covering  almost  all  lines  and  seems  one  of  the  most  prom- 
inent enterprises  of  the  Philippines. 

We  reached  Calamba  in  an  hour  and  a  half  in  a  Buick,  running  almost  too 
fast  for  the  condition  of  the  road,  only  part  of  which  was  good.  We  were  re- 
ceived by  Mr.  Dumont,  the  Manager,  from  Napoleonville,  Louisiana,  and  Mr. 
Weinzheimer,  formerly  of  Pioneer  Mill,  Hawaii,  who  seemed  to  me  a  very  able 
sugar  man,  principally  from  the  agricultural  side,  and  who  has  a  roving  com- 
mission to  try  and  improve  that  end  of  the  enterprise  in  particular  and  the 
whole  of  it  in  general — rather  a  delicate  position  in  connection  with  the  local 
manager  I  should  think.  After  lunch  I  went  through  the  mill,  a  Honolulu  Iron 
Works  plant,  with  a  crusher  and  twelve  84-inch  rolls;  mill  extraction  95%; 
everything  very  strong  for  1,500  tons  per  day — have  done  1,900; — now  work- 
ing only  at  half  capacity  as  they  only  started  a  few  days  ago.  Now  using  wood 
fuel,  but  when  working  to  capacity  the  bagasse  is  sufficient.  Expect  to  grind 
150,000  tons  cane  of  which  they  buy  one  half,  on  basis  of  one  half  the  sugar. 
This  seems  the  usual  price.  Extraction  of  sugar  10 — 11%  of  the  cane;  purity 
just  now  in  the  high  seventies,  but  averages  generally  85%.  Make  one  grade, 
as  close  as  possible  to  96  test,  boiling  back  the  syrups.  Molasses  worth  for 
distilling  $20.00  a  ton  and  rising;    expect  it  to  go  to  $40.00  a  ton. 

Their  plantation  cane  yield  is  very  poor  this  year,  owing  to  poor  distribu- 
tion of  rainfall;  probably  not  over  12|/2  tons  per  acre.  I  went  out  on  the 
plantation  railroad  and  the  land  is  rolling  and  that  near  the  mill  mostly  shallow^ 


65 

with  a  very  stiff  clay  subsoil.  They  have  Fowler  and  "oil  pull"  engines  for 
plowing,  and  made  the  mistake  at  first  of  plowing  up  too  much  subsoil.  Farther 
out  from  the  mill  I  saw  some  better  land  but  1  came  away  with  the  impression 
that  the  mill  is  badly  located  agriculturally.  The  Pampango  mill  is  just  start- 
ing on  its  first  campaign  and  they  say  the  lands  are  better  than  at  Calamba. 
The  rainfall  in  these  Islands  runs  up  to  80  inches  or  more,  but  the  distribution  is 
very  bad  (over  half  of  it  in  three  months)  ;  so  the  sugar  men  here,  mostly  of 
Hawaiian  experience,  are  all  talking  irrigation,  but  Calamba  looks  very  rolling 
for  this,  though  Weinzheimer  says  not.  The  native  cane  does  not  ratoon  well, 
not  over  once  or  twice,  and  sometimes  not  at  all;  but  a  new  variety,  Hawaiian 
!09,  promises  much  better  in  this  respect.  As  they  harvest  entirely  with  port- 
able track  in  the  fields,  the  yields  mentioned  above  would  make  the  cost  pro- 
hibitive if  they  did  not  have  very  cheap  labor — 50  cts.  and  60  cts.  per  day  U.  S. 
gold,  and  rations  of  rice  and  fish.     Women  75%  and  80%  of  this. 

I  saw  in  the  hotel.  Bell,  who  was  on  Adeline  for  the  Honolulu  Iron  Works 
and  he  wanted  to  be  remembered  to  Ben  and  Ben  Sprague.  He  is  at  the  head 
of  an  independent  company  of  his  own  now  and  has  contracts  for  several  new 
mills  on  different  Islands. 

Summing  up  the  sugar  industry  of  the  Philippines,  I  should  say  that  it  has 
the  three  elements  of  soil,  climate  and  especially  labor,  that  are  bound  to  make 
it  very  large  and  very  prosperous.  The  native  muscovado  industry  has  always 
maintained  itself  well,  and  when  the  new  comers  who  are  putting  up  the  large 
modern  mills  get  over  the  usual  initial  mistakes  of  location  and  management, 
the  new  industry  is  bound  to  grow  very  rapidly.  Already  some  new  mills  are 
going  up  for  native  sugar  people.  The  entire  Philippine  Islands  (3,000  in  num- 
ber) cover  an  area  of  only  120,000  square  miles,  as  against  California's  150,000, 
and  they  have  a  population  of  10,000,000  that  is  growing  rapidly.  We  saw  a 
young  mother  on  the  roadside  to  Baguio,  when  we  had  a  puncture,  that  could 
not  have  been  over  eleven  or  twelve  years  old,  so  they  get  an  early  start.  It 
is  merely  a  question  of  keeping  the  children  alive,  and  the  government  is  putting 
down  artesian  wells  and  giving  them  good  water,  with  the  result  that  in  some 
villages  the  mortality  has  already  been  cut  down  fifty  percent. 

The  Filipinos  seem  to  be  a  gentle,  docile,  amiable  people;  not  very  large 
or  strong.  This  may  be  somewhat  related  to  the  child  mother  problem.  They 
are  not  gluttons  for  work  and  their  wants  are  so  simple  and  few  that  they  are 
inclined,  when  they  are  paid  off,  to  wait  until  they  are  hungry  before  going  to 
work  again;  but  this  will  change  as  contact  with  more  energetic  races  teaches 
them  to  have  more  wants  and  to  work  to  gratify  them.  This  may  not  make  them 
any  happier  but  it  will  make  niore  sugar  I 

Their  diet  is  almost  exclusively  rice,  and  they  do  not  seem  to  utilize  the 
plantain  or  sweet  potato  as  the  Cubans  do,  although  both  grow  here. 

Our  vaccinations  have  taken  strongly,  Nellie's  particularly  so.  I  had  the 
hotel  doctor  dress  my  arm,  and  I  also  got  from  him  the  address  of  an  aurist, 
as  my  cold  has  affected  one  of  my  ears.  Subsequently  this  aurist  gave  me  three 
treatments,  mostly  consistly  of  blowing  air  into  the  eustachian  tube,  and  inci- 
dentally soaked  me  the  ungodly  price  of  $30.00  U.  S.  gold;  but  he  did  me  a 
great  deal  of  good.  The  hotel  doctor  also  dressed  Nellie's  arm  and  told  us  to 
keep  the  dressings  wet  with  water  slightly  impregnated  with  bichloride  of  mer- 
cury.     This  has  stopped  the  itching  and  been  a   great  comfort. 

MANILA,  SUNDAY,  December  21.    1919. 
Started  for  Baguio  at  7:20  a.  m.  in  two  Hudsons.     Nellie  and  I  leading  and 


66 

Mrs.  Chisholm,  her  conductor  Mr.  Kelley  and  her  maid  Jessie,  a  very  nice 
Scotchwoman,  following.  We  pay  100  pesos  or  $50  gold  per  day  for  each  car, 
but  I  hear  that  gasoline  costs  90  cents  per  gallon.  The  road  to  Baguio  is 
level  for  over  two-thirds  of  the  way  and  then  rises  sharply  to  5,000  feet  eleva- 
tion. On  the  flat  land  the  road  is  lined  with  native  huts,  made  of  thatch  or 
matting  on  a  slender  wooden  frame,  and  stuck  up  on  posts  to  keep  them  from 
ten  to  fifteen  feet  above  ground.  This  no  doubt  on  account  of  the  dampness. 
They  seem  to  consist  of  one  or  at  most  two  rooms — occasionally  a  more  pre- 
tentious house  is  seen  of  stone,  but  not  often.  Also  occasionally,  stone  churches, 
mostly  in  ruins,  but  still  apparently  used  as  churches.  Also  now  and  then  country 
stores,  differing  from  the  houses  only  in  being  on  the  ground  instead  of  being 
elevated.  These  little  huts  crystallize  occasionally  into  hamlets,  and  still  more 
occasionally  into  towns,  with  more  permanent  looking  buildings — everything 
open  to  the  air — no  glass  w^indow^s  but  the  openings  presumably  closed  at  night 
by  hanging  frames,   covered  with  matting  and  hinged  over  these  openings. 

Being  Sunday  and  Christmas  week,  no  work  is  being  done  but  the  people 
are  walking  the  roads,  the  women  in  holiday  dress  with  their  big  starched  sleeves 
and  scarfs  of  flimsy  stuff  draping  their  bare  shoulders,  many  of  them  carrying 
baskets  or  other  loads,  skillfully  poised  on  their  heads  without  any  help  from 
the  arms.  The  men,  very  many  of  them,  carrying  their  favorite  roosters  in 
their  hands,  taking  them  to  the  nearest  village  for  battle.  It  appears  that  the 
Filipinos,  like  the  Cubans,  but  even  more  so,  have  a  passion  for  gambling,  and 
cock  fighting  as  in  Cuba  is  the  favorite  outlet  and  means  to  gratify  this  passion. 
The  cocks  seem  to  be  of  many  breeds  and  not  confined  to  the  game  cock  strain 
proper,  as  is  generally  the  case  in  Cuba. 

There  are  three  different  beasts  of  burden  seen  constantly  on  the  road; 
the  carabao  or  water  buffalo,  the  much  smaller  but  more  active  bullock,  crossed 
w^ith  the  Indian  hump  backed  bull,  and  the  little  Filipino  pony,  twelve  to  thir- 
teen hands  high.  These  are  ridden,  or  draw  carts  and  little  chaises  (the  latter 
for  the  ponies)  but  most  of  the  people  circulate  afoot.  Some  years  ago  the 
rinderpest  nearly  exterminated  the  carabao  and  then  the  bullocks  were  imported 
as  they  are  more  resistant  to  this  disease.  But  for  working  in  the  soft  rice  fields, 
over  knee  deep  in  water,  and  drawing  the  peculiar  harrow  that  is  used  to  pre- 
pare the  ground,  no  animal  can  be  used  but  the  slow  moving,  ungainly  looking, 
carabao.  Not  being  at  work  today  they  could  be  seen  bathing  in  all  the  mud 
holes  and  pools  along  the  road,  often  in  groups  of  a  half  dozen,  with  nothing 
but  their  heads  sticking  out  of  the  muddy  water. 

I  want  to  send  a  message  to  Mr.  Barry.  The  Filipino  peasants  seem  to 
have  a  good  many  pigs  but  it  nearly  made  me  cry  to  see  such  degenerate  speci- 
mens of  this  noble  animal.  Had  he  been  with  me  I  don't  think  anything  could 
have  prevented  us  from  mingling  our  tears.  The  sows  are  about  the  size  of 
a  three  months  old  gilt,  very  much  sway  backed;  every  rib  and  every  bone  in 
the  spine  can  be  counted  and  the  only  thing  that  looks  large  is  the  stomach, 
flabby  and  trailing  on  the  ground.  They  seem  to  have  one  or  two  little  runty 
pigs  for  a  litter  and  it  is  evident  that  they  are  not  fed  at  all,  but  are  allowed  to 
roam  around  and  scratch  for  a  living  on  the  roads. 

I  may  mention  that  the  huts  are  often  in  fenced  lots  with  a  few  banana 
or  other  trees  for  use  and  shade.  When  the  elevated  country  began  the  first 
coconut  palm  trees  appeared  and  after  that  some  villages  appeared  to  be  built 
in  the  palm  groves.  The  native  trees  were  not  very  abundant  in  the  landscape 
but  hedges  and  thickets  of  bamboo  furnished  shade  on  some  stretches  along 
the  road. 


67 

We  crossed  small  streams  from  time  to  time,  and  the  bridges  across  these 
were  government  toll  bridges  with  a  charge  of  30c  to  60c  for  our  motor. 
Finally  we  reached  the  Benquet  road  that  zigzags  up  the  rocky  valley  of  a  deep 
cut  river  for  the  last  ten  miles  of  the  road  to  Baguio,  and  here  we  had  to  pay  a 
toll  of  1 0  pesos  both  going  and  returning.  A  good  deal  of  work  was  being 
done  on  this  road  by  gangs  of  Igorrote  laborers,  and  in  places  we  could  see  where 
expensive   repairs  and  changes   had  been   made,   owing   to   slides,    etc. 

We  had  brought  a  cold  lunch  from  the  hotel  and  this  we  ate  on  the  roadside 
in  front  of  an  admiring  native  audience,  composed  mostly  of  children,  who  were 
later  on  much  interested  in  the  division  of  the  remains  of  the  lunch  among 
them,  although  there  was  no  scrambling  or  quarreling.  We  arrived  at  the  hotel 
about  five  o'clock  after  a  most  interesting  and  delightful  day's  journey.  It  was 
rather  warm  when  we  stopped  but  for  motoring  the  temperature  was  ideal.  I 
am  referring  to  the  plains  for  up  at  Baguio  it  was  quite  cool.  The  hotel  accom- 
modation was  only  fair  but  we   had  two    rooms  and  a  bath. 

BAGUIO,  MONDAY,  December  22,    1919. 

It  had  been  our  original  intention  to  stay  a  full  day  here  and  return  on 
Tuesday,  but  as  Mrs.  Chisholm  was  not  tired  and  felt  equal  to  it,  we  decided 
to  go  back  today  and  have  one  more  day  in  Manila.  So  we  motored  around 
for  a  couple  of  hours,  visiting  Camp  John  Hay,  a  delightful  military  post;  also  the 
Dominican  convent,  on  an  elevation  that  would  have  commanded  a  view  of  the 
Pacific  but  for  a  fog  in  that  direction,  and  the  town  of  Baguio.  There  we  saw 
the  market  where  on  Sundays  the  Igorrotes  bring  in  dogs  to  be  sold  to  intending 
customers  for  culinary  purposes.  We  saw  a  few  dogs  but  very  thin  and  not 
yet  fitted  for  market,  and  we  saw  the  Igorrotes  who  are  the  common  people  of 
this  province.  We  saw  them  thoroughly,  as  they  wear  only  a  light  blouse  and 
a  breech  clout  so  scanty  as  to  leave  little  to  the  imagination.  I  refer  to  the  men, 
for  the  women  wear  rather  a  picturesque  and  a  more  modest  costume. 

About  eleven  o'clock  w^e  started  back  for  Manila,  arriving  at  the  hotel  at 
seven  for  dinner.  Except  the  latter  part,"  when  it  began  to  get  dark,  the  trip 
back   was   also  very   interesting. 

I  noticed  on  the  trip  that  our  chauffeur  did  not  speak  Spanish  to  the 
natives,  and  I  found  on  enquiry  that  these  often  only  speak  their  own  dialect 
and  always  prefer  it.  Tagalog  was  the  plains  language  and  some  other  dialect, 
that  of  the  Igorrotes  in  the  hills.  However  the  children  of  school  age  are  all 
taught  English,  and  if  the  government  does  not  change,  this  will  become  the 
universal  language. 

The  government  of  the  Philippines,  outside  of  the  customs  and  foreign 
relations,  is  now  in  the  hands  of  the  Filipinos.  Both  the  legislature,  and  now 
recently  the  senate,  are  elective  and  that  means  entirely  composed  of  Filipinos. 
The  Governor  General  has  the  veto  power  and  I  believe,  though  I  am  not  sure, 
that  it  cannot  be  overridden  without  the  approval  of  the  President  of  the  United 
States.  The  office  holders  are  almost  all  Filipinos.  This  change  has  come 
gradually  through  the  fact  that  the  salaries  are  too  small  for  the  Americans  to 
live  on.  The  Governor's  cabinet  is  mostly  Filipino.  The  lower  courts  are  all 
native  and  the  higher  courts  mostly  so,  but  there  is  an  appeal  in  certain  cases 
to  the  United  States  courts.  This  state  of  affairs  has  caused  a  certain  feeling 
of  doubt  as  to  the  stability  of  the  future  in  the  minds  of  foreign  and  American 
investors,  but  I  do  not  think  that  anything  has  so  far  actually  occurred  to 
jeopardize  vested  interests.  The  land  laws  do  not  permit  foreigners  to  own 
land  except  as  their  governments  reciprocate.  This  is  aimed  at  the  Japanese, 
who  are  cordially  hated.     A  corporation  cannot  own  over  one  thousand  hectares 


68 

of  land  and  an  individual  over  one  hundred  hectares.  This  undoubtedly  applies 
to  the  present  public  domain,  which  is  sixty  percent  of  the  soil  of  the  Islands. 
It  was  meant  to  apply  to  all  land,  but  some  contend  that  it  cannot  apply  to  land 
in  private  ownership  when  the  act  was  passed.  This  w^ill  cause  confusion  until 
the  courts  have  decided  the  point.  The  law  was  not  retroactive  so  the  Mindoro 
sugar  estate  owns  55,000  acres  of  land,  the  Calamba  estate  15,000  acres,  etc. 
I  myself  am  in  general  sympathy  with  land  laws  that  preserve  the  soil  for  settle- 
ment in  small  tracts  by  the  mass  of  the  citizens  of  a  country.  Particularly  for 
a   people  still  under   tutelage. 

MANILA,  TUESDAY,  December  23,  1919. 
We  had  kept  our  rooms  at  the  hotel  so  we  had  no  trouble.  If  we  had  done 
otherwise  I  don't  know  what  would  have  happened  to  us.  Manila  is  so  full  that 
not  only  is  there  lack  of  hotel  accommodation  but  it  is  difficult  to  get  either  a 
carriage,  a  Ford  or  a  real  motor.  You  are  compelled  to  take  them  by  the  hour 
even  if  you  only  want  to  go  to  one  place.  A  one-horse  chaise  or  caretella  is 
1  Yl  pesos  per  hour,  a  Ford,  3  pesos  and  other  motors  on  an  ascending  scale  up 
to  6  pesos  (a  peso  is  50  cents  gold).  We  had  to  take  a  six-passenger  Willys 
Knight  in  order  to  get  to  the  shopping  district.  Nellie  had  some  little  purchases 
to  make  and  in  the  meantime  I  took  a  hasty  look  at  the  Aquarium,  which  she 
had  already  seen  with  Mrs.  Fairchild.  Then  we  went  together  to  my  aurist. 
The  rest  of  my  day  was  taken  up  with  my  trip  to  the  Calamba  sugar  planta- 
tion, and  Nellie  went  around  with  Mrs.  Chisholm  and  Mrs.  Fairchild.  This  lady 
is  a  Hawaiian,  I  think  a  half-white,  and  she  has  been  as  amiable  and  polite  to 
Nellie  as  her  husband  has  to  me.  Among  other  things  she  has  kept  us  supplied 
with  mangoes,  which  are  not  in  season  here  but  which  she  gets  from  a  southern 
island.  They  are  perfectly  delicious,  far  superior  to  those  of  Cuba  or  Hawaii; 
in  fact  one  of  the  most  delicious  things  I  ever  tasted. 

MANILA,  WEDNESDAY,  December  24,    1919. 
The   Chamber   of  Commerce   of   the   Philippines    gave   a   lunch   and   Lowen- 
stein,    myself   and   one   or   two    others   were    invited   as    foreign    guests.       I   w^ould 
have   dodged  but   both   Fairchild   and   the   Governor   advised   me   to   accept,    so    I 
went  and  made  a  little  speech  which  I  will  hand  down  to  posterity  through  the 
medium    of   this   diary.      None   of   the   audience    knew    that    I    spoke    Spanish,    so 
Nellie  and  I  thought  it  would  make  a  hit  if  1  spoke  partly  in  Spanish,  and  it  did. 
The  members  had  been  bored  to  death  by  a  long  prosy  speech,   full  of  statistics, 
read  from  notes  by  Lowenstein  for  three-quarters  of  an  hour,  to  busy  men  on  a 
business  day.     So  when  it  came  my  turn  they  paid  scant  attention  I  am  afraid  to 
my   speech   until   I   made   my   few   closing   remarks   in  Spanish.      Their   faces   im- 
mediately  brightened   up   and   I   received   quite   an   avalanche  of   congratulations. 
This  is  what  I  said,   speaking  without  notes: — 
"Mr.  President  and  Members  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of 
the   Philippine    Islands: 

"I  had  always  heard  of  the  proverbial  hospitality  of  the  Filipinos  and  it  cer- 
tainly is  most  gratifying  to  experience  such  a  delightful  illustration  of  it  as  this 
most  enjoyable   luncheon. 

"The  sugar  business  in  all  its  different  branches  has  been  the  occupation  of 
my  entire  life.  Therefore  it  is  what  first  attracts  my  attention  in  visiting  a  new 
country.  It  was  most  interesting  to  me  to  observe  that  in  the  Philippine  Islands 
this  industry  is  developing  along  the  most  advanced  lines  and  that  you  have 
sugar  mills  second  to  none  anywhere.  This  new^  development  has  not  yet 
reached  large  proportions  but  you  have  the  soil,  the  climate  and  the  population 


69 

to  rival  any  and  all  competitors.  Besides,  it  is  not  an  unmixed  blessing  for  any- 
country,  that  one  industry  should  overshadow  all  others  and  these  Islands  are 
fortunate  in  having  many  other,  equally  important,  industries  to  absorb  the 
future   energy   of  its  inhabitants. 

The  example  of  France,  among  others,  has  shown  what  a  powerful  force, 
making  for  conservatism  and  prosperity,  is  the  ownership  of  land  in  small  tracts 
by  large  numbers  of  its  citizens.  I  have  therefore  noted  with  satisfaction  that 
your  government  is  endeavoring  by  wise  laws  to  preserve  the  land  of  the 
Philippines  in  small  tracts  for  its  rightful  owners,  the  Filipinos. 

"When  the  world  war  burst  upon  us  in  all  its  horror,  1  give  you  my  word 
that  1  was  at  first  sorry  to  have  lived  to  see  its  beginning.  Next,  it  became  my 
ardent  hope  and  wish  that  I  might  live  to  see  it  end  in  the  triumph  of  right. 
This  is  still  my  ardent  hope  and  wish,  for  although  the  fighting  may  be  said  to 
have  ended,  yet  the  settlements  that  must  follow  the  fighting  are  far  from  having 
reached  a  satisfactory  conclusion.  Still  I  am  sufficient  of  an  optimist  to  believe 
that  the  political  and  territorial  questions  will,  on  the  whole,  be  settled  along 
lines  of  substantial  equity. 

"This  will  clear  the  ground  for  the  consideration  of  the  most  vital  question 
that  faces  humanity  today,  and  a  question  upon  the  right  solution  of  which 
hangs  the  fate  and  future  direction  of  our  civilization,  namely,  the  equitable 
distribution  of  the  products  of  human  endeavor,  or  human  labor.  Labor  of  the 
hands,  labor  of  the  brain,  and  that  other  form  of  labor  that  we  call  capital. 
For  please  observe  that  in  the  last  analysis,  capital  is  but  a  form  into  which  the 
surplus  energies  of  labor  are  converted,  and  stored  to  be  drawn  upon  for 
future  use;  just  the  same  as  the  surplus  energy  of  electricity  is  stored  in  the 
electric  storage  battery,   also  for  future  use. 

"A  thing  is  never  settled  until  it  is  settled  right  and  therefore  there  will 
be  unrest  in  the  world,  until  an  equitable  adjustment  is  found  between  these 
three  forms  of  human  endeavor  that  will  give  to  each  its  proper  share.  Toward 
this  happy  solution  each  one  of  us,  high  or  low,  should  give  unselfish  thought 
and  effort. 

"Y  para  concluir,  senores  y  amigos,  quiero  decirles  que  cuando  joven  de  20 
anos  vivi  unos  cuantos  anos  en  la  Isla  de  Cuba.  Desde  aquel  tiempo  he  tenido 
un  lugar  preferido  en  mi  corazon  para  los  habitantes  de  las  antiguas  colonias 
espanolas,  sean  Cubanos  o  Filipinos.  Quedo  encantado  de  su  hermoso  pais  y 
tengo  deseo  ardiente,  y  firme  intencion,  de  hacerles  otra  visita  mas  larga,  si  e» 
que  Dios  me  de  algunos  anos  mas  de  vida. 

"Levanto  mi  vaso  para  beber  a  la  prosperidad  y  la  gloria  de  las  Islas 
Filipinas  y  de  sus  tan  simpaticos  habitantes  todos." 

In  the  afternoon  we  went  with  Mrs.  Chisholm  to  Bilibid  prison  to  see  and 
hear  the  daily  afternoon  "retreat".  Visitors  go  over  an  elevated  foot  bridge  to 
a  central  stand  from  which  the  buildings  and  courtyards  of  the  prison  radiate 
like  the  spokes  of  a  wheel.  The  exercises  consist  of  music  by  a  prison  band; 
drill  by  a  company  of  selected  recruit  prisoners  in  military  uniforms  with  dummy 
guns;  and  a  general  drill  by  groups  of  all  prisoners,  men  and  women,  in  prison 
garb,  which  consists  of  setting  up  exercises  and  a  march  past  the  kettles,  where 
their  tin  plates  are  filled  for  supper.  It  was  exceedingly  well  done  and  most 
interesting.  Bilibid  prison,  1  am  told,  is  an  advanced  experiment  in  penology, 
where  the  inmates  are  taught  trades,  and  their  products,  mostly  furniture  as  far 
as  I  could  see,   sold  for  their  own  benefit. 

In  the  evening  (Christmas  Eve)  we  dined  at  the  same  table  as  Mrs.  Chisholm 


70 

and  Mr.  Kelley,  and  I  opened  a  bottle  of  Pommery  to  drink  to  the  health  and 
happiness  of  all  our  loved  ones  at  home.  Never  was  more  heartfelt  toast  drunk. 
We  hope  our  Christmas  cards,  mailed  from  Yokohama  by  Tominaga,  will  arrive 
approximately  on  time. 

The  "Ecuador"  has  advanced  her  sailing  time  to  3 :00  p.  m.  tomorrow^ 
which  will  give  us  only  a  broken  day,  principally  filled  with  packing  and  waiting 
around.      I  get  an  ear  treatment  in  the  morning. 

MANILA,   THURSDAY.   December   25.    1919. 

I  forgot  to  say  yesterday  that  in  the  afternoon  the  telephone  rang  and  who 
should  it  be  but  the  ever  present  "Pritchard",  whom  we  had  left  starving  and 
freezing  in  Nikko — Pritchard  actually  prosperous,  having  had  a  wonderful  sale 
of  his  pictures  at  Tokyo,  realizing  19.000  yen  for  some  thirty  odd  pictures,  and 
after  all  expenses  paid,  finding  himself  with  $5000  in  bank — Pritchard  actually 
drawing  out  a  check  book  on  the  Anglo  &  London  Paris  Bank,  and  giving  me  a 
check  for  $76.00  for  some  barbed  wire  that  1  had  sent  him  to  Bishop  some  years 
ago  and  wanting  to  pay  interest  also,  if  I  would  have  let  him.  He  had  the  bill 
for  the  barbed  wire  in  his  pocket.  ($126.00)  and  said  he  had  paid  $50.00  on 
account,  which  is  undoubtedly  true,  though  I  had  forgotten  the  entire  transac- 
tion.     It  was  a  pleasure  to  see  his  pleasure  in  paying  up. 

He  has  an  awful  cold  and  has  come  down  here  to  thaw  out  and  paint  some 
pictures  for  the  Tokyo  market,  that  has  so  providentially  opened  up.  He  is 
figuring  already  beyond  this,  on  a  grand  success  in  Paris  later  on.  He  will  need 
some  military  permits,  to  be  allowed  to  go  down  under  water  for  his  painting, 
without  being  taken  for  a  spy.  As  he  knows  nobody  here  he  was  up  against 
it,  so  I  gave  him  a  letter  of  introduction  to  Fairchild,  who  can  undoubtedly  help 
him  out.  He  lunched  with  us  and  then  went  to  the  "Ecuador"  to  say  goodbye. 
As  the  ship  pulled  out  he  was  standing  on  the  dock  with  a  young  man,  whose 
name  he  shouted  but  1  could  not  catch  it.  They  had  dined  together  at  Sallie's 
house,  so  he  has  found  a  friend  in  Manila.     The  ship  sailed  at  3:15. 

S.  S.  ECUADOR.  AT  SEA.  December  26  and  27.    1919. 

Our  cabin,  though  without  a  bath,  is  roomy,  with  two  lower  berths  and  we 
are  quite  comfortable.  The  ship  is  very  light  and  yesterday  bobbed  about  like 
a  cork,  so  that  many  ladies  were  sea  sick  and  Mr.  Kelley  had  "lumbago"?  and 
stayed  in  his  cabin.  This  had  no  effect  on  hardened  mariners  like  Nellie  and 
myself.  I  have  spent  a  great  deal  of  my  time  in  writing  up  this  diary,  which 
I  could  not  touch  in  Manila. 

Our  stay  there  was  entirely  too  short — I  wish  it  had  been  a  month.  I  love 
the  Tropics  and  particularly  the  Spanish  Tropics.  Also,  much  as  I  enjoyed  the 
trip  to  Baguio.  it  was  a  mistake  to  devote  two  days  to  it  that  we  might  have  had 
in  Manila.  As  I  read  Cook's  book  about  the  city  I  realize  that  I  have  hardly 
seen  any  of  the  sights,  which  I  very  much  regret.  In  my  Spanish  speech  I  told 
them  I  was  coming  back  to  make  them  a  longer  visit  and  I  almost  meant  it. 

Although  the  ship  only  travels  twelve  miles  per  hour  we  are  due  in  Hong 
Kong  about  nine  o'clock  and  I  understand  we  must  go  ashore.  This  is  a  nuisance 
— 1  would  much   prefer  waiting   until  tomorrow  morning. 

LATER:  After  being  kept  on  the  anxious  seat  until  nearly  eleven  o'clock, 
the  police  authorities  did  not  come  aboard  and  we  spent  another  night  on  the 
ship. 

Mailed  December   28th.    1919   from  Hong  Kong. 
Received  at  San  Francisco  January  29th.    1920. 


CHAPTER  V. 

Hongkong  to  Singapore 


73 

HONG  KONG,  SUNDAY.  December  28,   1919. 

We  have  received  mail,  partly  in  Manila  and  partly  in  Hong  Kong,  as 
follows: 

M.  D.  O.  No.  4,  November  2 1  st,  with  enclosures  of  letters  to  her  from 
various  members  of  the  family,  and  from  Julie  Toulze.  The  latter  we  will  look 
up  if  our  journey  brings  us  near  her  home.  She  mentions  something  good  as 
happening  to  the  Moran  Company,  but  what  it  is  I  do  not  know^,  though  1  sup- 
pose that  eventually  I  shall  hear  from  Harry.  We  sympathize  with  her  and  the 
Sprague  girls  regarding  the  raise  in  board  at  the  Fairmont.  1  also  received  the 
memory  books  that  1  had  asked  her  to  look  up. 

S.  S.  W.  November  16th  and  23rd,  telling  of  all  the  grand  balls  and  how 
Ruth  and  Marie  Louise  got  out  of  sick  beds  to  dance.  Also  poor  little  Bud's 
operation  and  Billy  Newhall's  eyes.  The  latter  is  one  of  those  tragic  events  that 
almost  haunt  you.  1  don't  know  of  anybody,  who  by  temperament  would  feel 
such  a  cross  so  deeply  and  our  deepest  sympathy  goes  out  to  him  and  to  his 
family.  1  shall  write  to  him,  though  it  is  hard  to  know  what  to  say  in  such  a 
case.  I  appreciate  her  asking  all  my  people  for  Thanksgiving.  We  are  out 
of  International  Paper  and  the  stock  market  generally. 

Adele,  October  22nd  and  Lillie  Harding,  November    13th. 

Tom  Oxnard  of  Tucson,  November  13th.  A  sad  case  and  I  fear  he  will 
never  be  strong  again. 

Ruth,  November    1 0th.      A  nice  newsy  letter,   much  appreciated. 

Herrod,  November  13th  and  22nd,  with  interesting  items  about  the  business 
that  I  am  very  glad  to  have. 

H.  T.  O.,  November w^hich  I  have  already  answered. 

J.  G.  Hamiilton,  November  3rd.  I  want  to  ask  Harry  Stetson  to  get  out  of 
my  safe  deposit  box  the  shares  and  notes  of  the  Pierce  Patents  Company  and 
through  Miss  Slusher  turn  them  over  to  Mr.  Hamilton,  to  do  with  them  as  he 
does  with  his  own.      (Seventeen  shares  and  a  few  hundred  dollars  of  notes). 

Miss  Slusher,  November  15th,  17th  and  24th.  I  have  written  her 
separately  about  the  business  matters  that  she  brings  up  except  the  accident  in- 
surance, regarding  which  1  shall  make  no  change,  i.e.,  leave  as  it  is.  1  hope 
that  she  will  get  the  new  mailing  list  from  Stokes  promptly  to  the  family,  for 
letters  are  so  precious  to  us  that  we  do  not  want  the  flow  interrupted.  I  shall 
write  to  Mrs.  DrifFill  and  Emma. 

We  were  waked  up  at  6:30  on  the  steamer  and  hurried  to  the  dining  room 
for  the  police  inspection.  Then  came  breakfast  and  a  long  delay  for  no  ascer- 
tainable cause.  It  was  8:30  before  we  went  aboard  a  launch  to  go  ashore.  The 
discipline  was  poor  and  passengers  were  going  down  the  companion  ladder 
while  Chinese  coolies  were  pushing  up,  amid  great  confusion.  The  first  launch 
next  to  the  ship,  on  which  we  were,  became  considerably  overloaded  with 
passengers  and  baggage.  Then  occurred  what  might  have  been  a  terrible 
tragedy.  The  gunwale  of  the  launch  got  caught  under  the  companion  ladder 
and,  as  the  launch  started  to  steam  off,  she  heeled  over  until  1  thought  she  w^as 
going  to  upset.  Fortunately  something  on  the  ladder  parted  and  the  launch 
righted  herself.  Two  people  on  the  ladder  were  thrown  into  the  water  but 
rescued.  If  the  launch  had  been  upset,  about  a  hundred  people  and  a  lot  of 
baggage  would  have  been  dumped  into  the  water  in  a  heap  and  nothing  could 
have  prevented  a  terrible  loss  of  life. 

Through  the  intervention  of  Mr.  Bonnar,   the  partner   of  our  friend  Mackie 


74 

of  Shanghai,  who  had  telegraphed  for  us,  we  had  a  very  good  room  and  bath 
reserved  at  the  Hongkong  Hotel,  the  best  in  the  city.  Many  of  our  passengers 
had  to  scurry  around  and  finally  find  refuge  in  inferior  hotels.  Through  her 
conductor  Kelley,  who  knows  his  business,  Mrs.  Chisholm  had,  as  usual,  first- 
class  accommodations.  We  took  a  room  and  breakfast  at  $18.00  per  day  and 
decided  to  eat  the  other  two  meals  a  la  carte  in  the  grill.  George  Delong  had 
recommended  our  doing  this  and  many  others  are  doing  the  same.  You  cannot 
haggle  about  hotel  prices  these  days;  you  are  glad  to  take  whatever  you  can 
get  at  the  price  asked. 

Hongkong  is  a  rocky  island,  rising  steeply  out  of  the  sea  to  a  high  eleva- 
tion, or  "Peak"  as  it  is  called,  and  with  only  a  limited  amount  of  flat  land  from 
the  shore  to  the  beginning  of  the  rise,  which  is  ascended  by  a  funicular  railway 
to  a  height  of  nearly  1500  feet.  The  city  itself  is  called  Victoria,  and  all  the 
business  part,  the  Chinese  part,  and  most  of  the  European  residence  part,  is  on 
the  flat;  but  some  of  the  European  residences,  boarding  houses,  hotels  and 
barracks  are  on  the  slope  of  the  hill,  along  streets  that  follow  the  contour  of  the 
hills  at  different  elevations.  In  this  respect  it  reminds  me  of  some  of  the  Riviera 
cities.  After  lunch  we  joined  forces  with  Mrs.  Chisholm  and  went  up  to  the 
top  of  the  peak,  from  which  there  is  a  glorious  view  of  Hongkong — or  rather 
Victoria — and  its  harbor  on  one  side,  and  the  water  and  other  smaller  islands  on 
the  other.  The  English  concession  extends  to  Kowloon,  on  the  mainland  op- 
posite Hongkong,    where   the  ocean   steamers   dock. 

Being  Sunday,  the  foreign  shops  were  closed  but  not  so  the  Chinese.  Be- 
sides this,  as  in  other  parts  of  the  Orient,  native  tailors  come  up  to  the  rooms, 
with  samples  and  offers  of  services.  Nellie  got  into  action  at  once,  with  two 
sets  of  natives,  for  tropical  clothes,  and  I  followed  suit  the  next  day.  The 
experience  was  very  trying,  for  these  people  take  your  clothes  as  patterns  and 
try  to  copy  them,  but  have  to  fit  and  alter  a  dozen  times,  running  back  and 
forth,  until  you  are  worn  out.  However  I  think  Nellie  has  about  what  she  wants, 
but  I  only  have  three  suits  of  w^ash  clothes,  w^here  I  should  have  had  ten,  accord- 
ing to  everyone  w^e  meet.  We  are  going  to  spend  several  weeks,  practically  on 
the  equator,  and  only  the  very  lightest  clothes  can  be  worn  and  these  must  be 
changed  and  washed  frequently.  I  shall  have  to  get  along  as  best  I  can  with 
what  I  have.  My  pongee  suit  cost  $22.00  and  my  two  white  linen  ones  $10.00 
apiece.  I  have  also  got  two  white  serge  dinner  jackets,  with  silk  facings,  un- 
lined,  for  $21.00  apiece.  These  are  worn  for  dinner  with  black  trousers  and  a 
black  silk  belt — no  waistcoat. 

HONGKONG,   Week  Ending  January   3,    1920. 

There  is  very  little  sightseeing  to  do  in  Hongkong  and  our  time  was  con- 
siderably taken  up  with  getting  clothes,  so  I  will  write  up  the  week  in  a  lump. 
On  Monday  we  received  through  Cook's  the  cable  wishing  us  a  Merry 
Christmas  from  Winslows,  Oxnard,  Spragues  and  Louie,  and  asking  for  our 
itinerary  after  leaving  here.  On  looking  back  I  see  that  it  was  only  on  December 
1 3th,  from  Shanghai,  that  I  mailed  the  diary  telling  about  having  secured 
passage  for  Singapore  on  the  "Kashgar",  so  the  family  was  entirely  in  the  dark 
as  to  our  movements.  We  cabled  reply  through  Cook's  in  San  Francisco  aS 
follows:  "Oxnard  thanks  love  both  well — leaving  for  Singapore  fourth  prac- 
tically original  itinerary".  I  hope  that  you  will  understand  that  we  mean  to 
follow  practically  the  original  itinerary  that  you  all  have  copy  of.  Some  little 
changes  will  occur  but  our  mail  schedule  will  not  be  altered. 

I  had  a  letter  from  Walter  Gibson  for  the  agents  here  of  the  Java  line  from 


75 

Europe  to  the  Orient.  Through  them  we  secured  accommodations  from  Batavia, 
January  3 1  st,  via  Singapore  to  Colombo,  Ceylon,  which  we  prefer  to  the  un- 
certainty of  accommodations  from  Penang  to  Colombo,  as  per  original  schedule, 
but  it  will  bring  us  to  Colombo  just  about  on  time  and  make  no  difference  about 
mail  from  home.  We  also  tried  through  the  same  channel  to  get  a  cabin  by  the 
Dutch  steamer  from  Colombo  to  Genoa,  but  were  unsuccessful.  We  did  this 
because  Cook's  has  not  yet  got  accommodations  from  Bombay  to  Suez. 

We  had  expected,  from  what  Stokes  said  in  San  Francisco,  that  Cook's 
office  here  could  route  us  through  the  balance  of  our  trip  the  same  as  up  to 
date,  but  Cook's  has  no  agent  in  Singapore  or  Java  and  we  are  thrown  on  our 
own  resources,  except  as  to  getting  the  Bombay  steamer.  We  have  therefore, 
at  Mrs.  Chisholm's  suggestion,  decided  to  travel  together  as  long  as  may  be 
mutually  agreeable  and  employ  her  conductor  to  act  for  us  in  the  same  capacity. 
We  think  this  will  work  to  our  advantage  and  it  is  a  great  relief  to  Mrs. 
Chisholm,  who  dreaded  going  any  further  with  only  a  conductor  and  maid.  It 
will  save  me  a  lot  of  trouble  and  anxiety  if  it  works  all  right,  and  if  it  doesn't 
we  can  part  company  at  any  time. 

On  Monday,  Nellie  and  I  took  a  motor  drive  almost  around  Hongkong  that 
we  enjoyed  immensely.  The  roads  are  ideal  and  the  marine  views  remind  one 
of    the   Riviera. 

On  the  night  of  the  30th,  we,  with  Mrs.  Chisholm  and  party,  took  the  night 
boat  for  Canton.  The  cabin  was  very  comfortable  and  w^e  arrived  at  6:30  a.  m. 
We  went  to  the  hotel  which  was  damp,  cold  and  poor,  and  engaged  rooms  in- 
tending to  spend  the  night,  but  later  decided  to  return  to  Hongkong  by  the 
afternoon  boat,  as  w^e  saw  everything  in  the  one  day. 

We  took  chairs  with  three  coolies  each  and  in  the  forenoon  did  the  slums 
and  one  or  two  temples.  It  was  cold  and  1  was  glad  to  have  a  rug  to  cover 
my  legs. 

We  had  heard  so  much  about  the  dirt  and  smells  of  Canton,  that  we  were 
surprised  to  find  it  about  the  same  as  the  slums  of  the  other  Oriental  cities 
that  we  had  visited  in  Japan  and  China.  In  the  afternoon,  we  visited  the  shop- 
ping districts  but  the  prices  of  the  jade,  lacquer,  silk,  embroideries,  etc.,  were 
so  outrageously  high  that  the  ladies  bought  practically  nothing.  There  is  no 
such  thing  as  getting  bargains  in  China  any  more.  Everything  is  on  the  basis  of 
silver  and,  as  this  h?is  gone  up  three  fold  in  the  last  generation  as  compared  with 
gold,  the  silver  countries  are  more  expensive  to  live  in  than  those  on  a  gold 
basis.  How  different  from  the  days  when  Bryan  said  on  this  subject:  "They 
shall  not  press  upon  the  brow  of  labor  this  crown  of  thorns,  they  shall  not 
crucify  mankind  upon  a  cross  of  gold". 

We  went  to  the  boat  about  4:30  and  from  then  till  dark  we  watched  the 
river  life — the  hundreds  of  junks  of  all  sizes  upon  which  people  are  born,  live 
and  die,  hardly  ever  going  ashore — propelled  mostly  by  sculling,  in  which  men, 
women  and  children  take  part,  the  women,  often  with  babies  strapped  on  their 
backs,   seemingly   doing   the   major   share. 

We  got  back  to  the  Hongkong  Hotel  at  midnight.  On  the  trip  a  young 
Chinese  woman  jumped  overboard  and  w^as  drowned,  driven  to  despair  by 
accusations  of  unfaithfulness  made  by  her  husband.  Human  nature  is  not  very 
different  east  or  west,  only  the  superficial  form  of  civilization  varies. 

Nellie  has  bought  a  set  of  Canton  ware  table  China  that  is  most  attractive 
>and  which,  when  ready,  will  be  shipped  by  the  American  Express  Company. 

1  called  upon  Mr.   Ross  Thompson  and  presented  his  wife's  letter  of  intro- 


76 

duction.  I  was  anxious  to  visit  the  sugar  refinery  of  his  firm,  Butterfield,  Swire 
&  Company.  He  received  me  very  courteously  but  regretted  that  it  was  against 
the  rules  of  the  Company  to  allow  anyone  to  visit  the  refinery. 

On  Saturday  I  called  up  Sir  Paul  Chater  to  know  if  I  could  call  to  present 
Schwerin's  letter  and  see  his  wonderful  collection  of  porcelains.  He  and  Lady 
Chater  were  going  off  on  a  picnic  that  afternoon,  but  they  stopped  in  at  the 
hotel  to  see  us  and  try  to  arrange  some  other  meeting.  As  our  steamer  leaves 
in  the  morning  this  was  impossible.  He  courteously  reproached  us  for  having 
waited  until  our  last  day  to  present  our  letter,  as  Schwerin  had  written  him 
about  us  and  he  wanted  us  very  much  to  see  his  collection.  We  also  are  sorry 
that  w^e  waited  so  long  as  they  seem  unusually  nice  people. 

We  called  in  Doctor  Marriott,  one  of  the  best  physicians  here,  and  con- 
sulted him  about  taking  the  typhoid  serum.  He  impressed  us  very  favorably 
and  we  were  glad  to  follow^  his  advice  which  was  against  taking  the  serum,  as 
one  becomes  much  less  susceptible  to  typhoid  after  a  certain  age.  This  was 
practically  what  Dr.  Ransome  of  Shanghai  had  told  us.  So  now  that  is  off 
our  minds. 

The  "Kashgar"  sails  at  noon  tomorrow,  January  4th,  from  Kowloon  on 
the  mainland,  but  the  hotel  launch  leaves  at  ten. 

I  shall  mail  this  diary  and  it  w^ill  be  the  last  installment  to  go  via  the 
Pacific.      From  Singapore  onward,  the  mails  will  go  to  America  via  Europe. 

Our  heartfelt  wishes  for  a  Happy  New  Year  go  to  all  who  may  read  this. 
Mailed  at  Hongkong,  January  4,    1920. 
Received  at  San  Francisco,  California,   February  2,    1920. 

HONGKONG,   SUNDAY,   January   4,    1920. 

The  "Kashgar"  steamed  off  at  12:30  p.m.,  and  the  view  of  the  city  and 
the  surrounding  islands  and  channels  was  very  enjoyable.  We  have  a  very  fair 
cabin,  upper  and  lower  berth,  with  room  for  two  steamer  trunks  and  our  smaller 
baggage.  This  second  steamer  trunk  we  bought  in  Hongkong  to  take  care  of 
the  new  clothes  we  had  made  here.  It  is  a  very  good  light  fiber  trunk,  cost 
$45.00,  far  superior  to  the  one  we  bought  in  Vancouver  for  $18.00.  It  is  a 
question  how  long  this  latter  will  hold  out.  We  had  to  have  the  tray  all  put 
together  again  here.  This  makes  an  awful  lot  of  baggage  but  we  must  carry 
clothes  for  both  hot  and  cold  weather. 

We  are  told  that  in  the  hotels  in  Java,  the  beds  are  made  up,  unless  by 
special  request,  with  only  the  lower  sheet,  and  one  sleeps  on  top  of  this  without 
any  covering  but  with  a  long  bolster,  called  a  Dutch  housewife,  not  for  the  head 
but  for  placing  between  the  knees  to  keep  cool.  That  is  the  custom  in  Singa- 
pore also. 

Speaking  again  of  Canton,  a  man  who  speaks  Chinese  told  me  that  he 
once  came  across  a  vendor  there  who  had  exposed  on  his  table  for  sale  a  dead 
cat.  He  asked — "What  in  the  world  would  any  one  buy  a  dead  cat  for?" — 
"Sir",  replied  the  Chinaman,  "I  do  not  know,  and  that  side  of  the  question  does 
not  interest  me.     I  am  selling  the  cat,  not  buying  him". 

We  have  a  strong  north  wind  following  us  and  this,  while  making  the  ship 
roll  considerably,  is  driving  her  ahead  at  a  great  rate.  We  had  been  fearful 
that  we  would  not  make  connection  with  the  Dutch  packet  leaving  Singapore 
on  Friday  for  Batavia,  which  would  probably  have  left  us  in  Singapore  until 
the  following  Friday.  But  now  if  this  weather  holds  we  will  reach  Singapore 
Thursday.      The  ship  logs  about  350  miles  per  day  in  ordinary  weather. 


77 

The  Steward's  department  is  manned  by  Portuguese  Malays,  and  the  crew 
is  composed  of  Lascars.  The  room  service  is  willing  but  inefficient,  while  the 
dining  room  stewards  are  particularly  poor.  They  make  mistakes  both  of 
omission  and  commission  all  through  the  meal,  w^hich  is  served  in  courses,  with- 
out any  option  of  running  ahead  of  schedule — regular  European  table  d'hote 
style.  The  cooking  is  very  mediocre  and  there  is  no  chance  of  getting  back  any 
of   the   weight  we   lost   during  the    'flu'    in   Peking.      Nellie   does   not   regret   this. 

S.  S.  KASHGAR,  AT  SEA,  January  5,   6  and  7,    1920. 

Weather  continues  favorable  and  the  trip  proceeds  without  incident.  The 
first  two  days  were  rather  cool,  but  on  Wednesday  the  7th  it  became  muggy 
and  sticky,  with  the  thermometer   76   to    78   degrees  in  the   cabin. 

Mrs.  Chisholm  is  very  particular  about  all  her  surroundings  and  is  not  at  all 
satisfied  with  her  cabin  or  the  service.  She  is  most  charming  and  courteous 
toward  us.  Her  maid,  Jessie  Archibald,  lived  seven  years  in  Paris  with  an 
American  lady  and  knows  the  Riviera  well.  She  has  also  travelled  quite  ex- 
tensively with  Mrs.  Chisholm  in  the  years  that  she  has  been  with  her.  Mrs. 
C's  travelling  rug  is  of  the  Chisholm  plaid,  her  husband's  father  having  come 
from   near    Inverness. 

We  have  scraped  up  a  poor  but  very  welcome  fourth  at  bridge.  Mrs. 
Wayne  Campbell,  an  English  lady,  travelling  from  Vancouver  to  England,  her 
home,  with  her  second  husband,  a  Canadian.  She  has  lived  in  India  for  years, 
and  has  grown  up  children  by  her  first  marriage  in  England.  Her  son  served 
as  an  English  officer  in  France.  There  is  also  on  board  a  New  York  Surgeon, 
Doctor  Fuller,  with  wife,  two  sons  and  a  daughter  (grown  ups).  He  is  a  spe- 
cialist of  some  note  as  a  genito-urinary  surgeon.  Professor  at  Columbia  but  now 
retired  and  travelling  around  the  world.  A  very  agreeable  man.  One  of  the 
sons  is  a  surgeon  and  while  in  Nikko  had  to  operate  on  his  own  brother  for 
appendicitis. 

The  first  day  we  ordered  a  cocktail  and  it  was  made  without  ice.  In 
answer  to  our  complaint  the  barkeeper  said  it  was  too  cold  in  Hongkong  to  use 
ice.  We  have  finally  taught  him  to  make  a  sort  of  Bronx,  with  rum  instead  of 
gin,    that    quite    suits    us. 

Nellie  has  put  in  part  of  her  time  in  pasting  photographs  into  our  book. 
They  are  colored  and  uncolored;  some  very  artistic,  from  Japan,  down  to  postal 
cards  and  my  own  efforts  with  a  camera.  These  latter  are  very  small  and  on 
the  whole  not  as  satisfactory  as  the  purchased  ones. 

After  leaving  Singapore,  this  ship  takes  six  weeks  to  get  to  England  and  I 
am  afraid  there  will  be  a  long  interval  between  the  receipt  in  San  Francisco  of 
this  letter  and  of  the  last  one  from  Hongkong.  I  am  also  fraid  that  we  will  have 
a  long  wait  for  letters  from  home,  that  are  routed  via  Europe. 

S.  S.  KASHGAR,  AT  SEA,  THURSDAY,  January  8,  1920. 
The  weather  has  been  overcast  all  through  the  trip  but  the  sun  is  trying 
to  break  out  today.  We  expect  to  reach  Singapore  shortly  after  lunch,  so  I 
will  get  this  letter  ready  for  mailing  by  the  first  opportunity.  We  are  both  well 
and  looking  forward  to  Java.  Mr.  Kelley  advises  that  if  we  can  get  steamer 
accommodations  we  should  follow  our  original  plan  and  go  back  to  Singapore, 
then  to  Rangoon,  Burmah,  and  from  there  to  Calcutta.  This  would  mean  seeing 
India  before  Ceylon.  The  advantages  are  that  the  weather  in  March  is  more 
agreeable  in  Ceylon  than  on  the  Continent  of  India.  Also  that  the  greatest 
congestion  for  steamship  passage  to  Europe  is  at  Bombay,  w^hich  w^e  could  always 
reach  in  about  two  days  from  Colombo,  if  it  happens  that  Cook's  get  our  book- 


78 

ing  from  there.  As  he  has  been  to  India  a  dozen  times  we  will  probably  follow 
his  advice  and  have  our  Colombo  mail  forwarded  to  us  according  to  our 
itinerary  as  it   develops. 

Mailed  from  Singapore,   January   8,    1920. 

Received  at  San  Francisco,  California,  February    16,    1920. 

SINGAPORE,    THURSDAY,    January    8,    1920. 

We  landed  after  lunch  and  went  to  RaflFles  Hotel,  to  which  Kelley  had 
cabled  for  accommodations.  The  room  assigned  to  us  w^as  said  to  have  just 
been  vacated,  but  the  dust  and  dirt  proclaimed  it,  to  the  expert  eye  of  Mrs.  O, 
as  not  having  been  occupied  for  some  time.  This  was  confirmed  by  the  fact 
that  it  was  dismantled,  i.e.,  no  sheets  on  beds  and  no  mosquito  nets,  and  dust 
on  all  the  furniture.  1  went  to  the  management  and  was  confronted  with  the 
statement  that  they  could  have  rented  this  room  twenty  times  if  they  had  not 
reserved  it  for  us  and  that  it  was  all  they  had  absolutely.  This  bluffed  me 
right  out  but  not  so  Mrs.  O.  She  went  and  gave  the  manager  a  "piece  of  her 
mind"  with  the  result  that  we  soon  had  three  coolies  washing  the  floor,  dusting 
the  furniture,  putting  up  the  mosquito  nets  and  making  the  beds.  The  latter 
with  only  the  under  sheet,  the  pillows  and  the  Dutch  housewife  already  described. 
By  special  request  we  each  secured  a   second  sheet  to   spread  over  us. 

We  w^ere  delayed  in  landing  by  a  hard  tropical  shower  of  rain,  and  it  rains 
in  Singapore  (70  miles  from  the  Equator)  according  to  the  guide  book,  220 
days  out  of  the  365.  The  sky  was  cloucy  all  the  time  we  were  there  and  con- 
sequently w^e  did  not  suffer  from  the  heat.  It  is  very  attractive,  w^ell  kept  and 
prosperous  looking.  Except  politically,  the  Chinese  are  the  dominant  element 
in  the  population.  They  not  only  do  most  of  the  hard  w^ork  but  there  are 
many  millionaires  among  them.  There  was  a  w^ild  boom  in  the  rubber  planting 
industry,  not  only  here  but  in  the  Dutch  East  Indies,  a  few  years  back, 
w^hen  it  was  discovered  that  the  Brazilian  Para  rubber  tree  lent  itself  admirably 
to  commercial  planting,  and  this  entirely  displaced  the  native  rubber  tree.  I 
believe  that  this  resulted  in  over-production  and  a  flattening  out  of  the  boom  at 
that  time,  but  since  then  the  w^ar  and  the  development  of  the  automobile  havs 
sent  prices  skyward  again  and  planting  is  once  more   going  on  actively. 

We  took  two  automobile  drives  Thursday  afternoon  and  Friday  morning. 
We  went  all  over  the  town;  along  the  shore;  to  the  Governor's  residence 
gardens;  the  botanical  garden;  the  fashionable  out  of  town  residence  district, 
in  v/hich  many  places  belong  to  Chinese;  and  a  plantation  belonging  to  a 
Chinaman,  where  we  saw  the  process  of  gathering  the  rubber  sap  by  tapping  the 
trees,  and  the  subsequent  treatment  to  put  it  in  merchantable  shape.  The  owner 
had  also  gathered  there  as  a  matter  of  curiosity,  the  trees  and  bushes  that  bear 
such  tropical  products  as  indigo,  pepper,  cinnamon,  clove,  hemp,  etc.,  and 
fruits  like  rambutan  (which  looks  on  the  outside  like  a  red  chestnut  burr), 
mangosteen    (delicious),    etc. 

We  went  to  the  Hongkong  and  Shanghai  Bank  to  ask  for  mail  and  to  draw 
some  money.  There  was  no  mail  and  I  drew  some  local  money  and  some  Dutch 
guilders. 

We  have  so  far  since  the  day  we  started  from  home  handled  the  American 
dollar,  the  Canadian  dollar,  Japanese  yen,  Korean  yen  (a  slight  discount).  North 
China  dollar,  Shanghai  dollar,  Philippine  peso,  Hongkong  dollar.  Straits  Settle- 
ment dollar  and  Dutch  or  Javanese  guilder — ten  different  kinds  of  money. 

We  have  passed  out  of  the  region  of  the  bath  tub  as  known  at  home.  In 
Singapore  and  Java  a  bath  means  a  big  tub  of  water  and  a   dipper.      You  stand 


79 

on  the  floor  and  after  soaping  yourself  you  splash  water  over  your  body  and  let 
it  go  at  that;    no  soaking. 

SINGAPORE,  FRIDAY,  January  9,  1920. 
In  the  morning  we  took  the  drive  described  above  and  then  w^ent  to  the 
packet  office  to  take  up  our  tickets  by  the  S.  S.  "Melchior  Treub".  To  get  these 
we  had  to  present  a  permit  from  the  Dutch  Immigration  Bureau,  that  has  an 
office  here  for  that  purpose,  and  the  visa  of  the  Singapore  police  on  our  pass- 
ports. I  must  mention  here  that  our  passports  are  in  such  constant  request  and 
so  plastered  with  visas  and  permits,  that  it  is  hard  to  find  room  to  put  on  any 
more.      This  is  a  relic  of  the  w^ar  regulations. 

Among  the  things  that  we  saw  this  morning  w^as  a  Chinese  Buddhist  temple, 
that  was  interesting  even  to  our  jaded  temple  appetite.  The  painted  carvings 
on  Monolith  columns  of  stone  were  very  fine  and  there  w^ere  a  number  of 
Buddhas  of  heroic  size,  made  in  Italy  from  Carrara  marble;  also  some  lanterns 
of  carved  wood,  gilded,  with  glass  sides  painted  with  Chinese  designs,  that  in- 
terested Nellie  very  much.  The  temple  was  built  twenty  years  ago  at  a  cost  of 
$10,000,000  U.  S.  money,  contributed  by  the  wealthy  Chinese  of  the  Malay 
peninsula. 

After  lunch,  having  some  time  at  our  disposal  before  going  to  the  boat, 
Nellie  and  I  took  rickshaws  and  went  into  the  native  and  poorer  Chinese  quar- 
ters, where  we  witnessed  part  of  a  Chinese  entertainment  in  the  open  air  theatre. 
Then  we  went  down  to  the  boat,  which  sailed  shortly  after  five  on  its  40-hour 
journey  to  Batavia.  Our  cabin  is  rather  small  and  pretty  well  filled  up  w^ith  our 
baggage.  How^ever  the  berths  are  tw^o  lowers  at  right  angles  to  each  other. 
They  have  the  Dutch  wife  bolster  but  I  don't  think  there  will  be  room  for  both 
of  us  in  the  narrow  bed — either  my  Dutch  wife  or  I  will  have  to  sleep  on  the 
floor. 

The  steamer  looks  more  like  a  river  boat  than  an  ocean  going  craft,  as 
the  passage  from  Singapore  to  Java  is  under  the  lee  of  Sumatra  and  in  fact 
much  of  it  in  a  narrow  strait  betw^een  Sumatra  and  Banka,  w^here  the  shore  can 
be  seen  on  either  side.  The  crowd  is  heterogeneous  but  the  atmosphere  is 
Dutch,  and  beer  flows  freely  in  the  main  saloon.  I  was  disappointed  in  the 
quality  but  not  to  the  point  of  refusing  to  drink  it.  The  table  is  distinctly 
better  than  on  the  P.  &  O.  liner  "Kashgar**.  The  same  routine  table  d'hote 
service  and  the  Malay  waiters  blissfully  ignorant  of  English.  These  same  Malays 
do  all  the  service  and  when  not  engaged,  squat  around  on  the  deck,  or  sleep  in 
the  hallways  in  front  of  the  cabins.  The  bath  is  of  the  local  variety  but  I  found 
it  quite  refreshing. 

We  acquired  in  Hongkong  two  steamer  chairs  and  now,  when  I  check  up, 
I  have  to  count  twelve  pieces  of  baggage,  large  and  small. 

S.  S.  MELCHIOR  TREUB,  AT  SEA,  SATURDAY,  January  10,  1920. 
The  sea  is  as  calm  as  a  mill  pond  and  we  will  get  to  Tandjong  Priok,  the 
port  of  Batavia,  in  the  early  morning  of  tomorrow.  We  have  a  small  table  for 
four,  at  which  Mrs.  Chisholm  and  Mr.  Kelly  sit  with  us.  The  time  passes 
quickly,  reading  guide  books  and  talking  and  playing  bridge.  The  weather  is 
delightful  and  I  feel  perfectly  comfortable  in  my  white  drill  suit,  consisting  of 
trousers  and  a  jacket,  buttoned  up  to  the  neck,  and  worn  without  a  shirt. 
Nellie  has  on  a  cotton  voile  with  blue  polka  dots  on  a  white  ground,  with  white 
bands  on  neck  and  wrist  and  with  little  frills  in  white,  made  of  the  voile.  The 
above  description  has  been  dictated  to  me  by  Mrs.  Chisholm,  who  is  sitting 
alongside  of  me  and  wants  me  to  add  that  Nellie  looks  very  well  in  the  dress. 
It  was  made  by  a  Chinaman  in  Hongkong  and  cost  $16.00. 


CHAPTER  VI. 
"Java  and  Sumatra 


83 

BATAVIA,  JAVA,  SUNDAY,  January  I  1,  1920.  . 
Called  at  5:20  a.  m.  and  as  usual  wasted  a  lot  of  time,  not  getting  off  the 
boat  at  Tandjong  Priok  before  8:30.  While  Kelley,  the  maid  and  the  native 
guide  wrestled  with  the  baggage  and  custom  house,  Mrs.  Chisholm,  Nellie  and 
I  went  by  motor  about  nine  miles  to  Batavia  to  see  about  hotel  accommodations, 
as  the  Hotel  des  Indes  had  disappointed  us.  We  got  crowded  accommodations 
at  the  Hotel  Nederland  but  Mrs.  Chisholm  was  so  dissatisfied  that  finally  Kelley 
got  her  into  the  Indes  about  five  o'clock.  This  left  us  with  plenty  of  room,  but 
we  are  in  a  kind  of  cottage  two  or  three  hundred  yards  from  the  dining  room. 
As  it  rained  hard  most  of  the  day  we  had  to  walk  to  meals  along  a  covered 
alley  back  of  the  rooms, — dirty,  smelly  and  filled  with  the  private  native  servants 
of  the  guests,  doing  w^ashing,  serving  meals,  etc.  Kelley  is  trying  to  get  us  into 
the  Indes,  but  unless  he  succeeds  soon  it  will  not  be  worth  while  to  move,  as  we 
do  not  expect  to  stay  long  in  Batavia,  where  there  is  little  to  interest  the  tourist. 

BATAVIA,  MONDAY,  January  12,  1920. 
Raining  hard  most  of  the  forenoon.  When  it  let  up  we  motored  to  the 
bank  to  draw  money  and  get  mail — none  of  the  latter.  Then  I  presented  some 
letters  and  got  our  passports  extended  by  the  American  Consul.  This  has  to 
be  done  every  six  months  and  our  passports  are  dated  July  24,  1919.  We  drove 
around  the  city  and  I  bought  a  cork  helmet  hat.  We  saw  Mr.  Kelley,  who 
reports  Mrs.  Chisholm  confined  to  her  bed  and  talking  of  giving  up  trying  to 
get  to  Europe. 

BATAVIA,  TUESDAY,  January  13,  1920. 
Raining  intermittently  all  day.  Sometimes  hard,  sometimes  only  a  drizzle. 
It  is  the  Dutch  custom  to  close  up  business  for  lunch,  then  take  a  siesta  and  only 
reopen  at  varying  hours  according  to  the  business,  from  two  to  five.  A  stranger 
cannot  tell,  except  by  enquiring,  the  business  hours  of  any  particular  firm  or 
shop.  An  enquiry  from  the  very  wooden  management  of  the  Nederland  Hotel 
generally  brings  misinformation.  We  w^ent  tw^ice  to  see  the  museum  on  their 
information,  once  at  two  and  again  at  five,  to  find  it  closed  at  those  hours  on 
Tuesday.  So  we  must  w^ait  for  our  return  to  see  it.  Between  show^ers,  I  pre- 
sented some  letters  of  Will  Taylor  but  did  not  connect  with  his  man,  who  is 
away.  I  got  our  passports  vised  for  Ceylon  and  got  from  the  touring  bureau 
an  itinerary  for  our  trip  through  Java,  until  our  departure  by  the  "Grotius"  for 
Colombo,   January   31st. 

We  found  that  the  cabin  reserved  for  us  through  Walter  Gibson's  friend 
in  Hongkong  was  an  excellent  one,  but  they  had  not  been  able  to  do  well  for 
Mrs.  Chisholm  and  so  she  is  not  going  to  take  it,  but  will  go  back  to  Singapore 
and  get  to  India  that  way.  In  fact,  the  other  day  when  she  felt  sick,  she  thought 
of  giving  up  India  and  returning  home  by  Japan.  At  all  events  we  have  dis- 
pensed with  Mr.   Kelley's  services  and   now  we   have  to   paddle   our   own   canoe. 

This  being  the  rainy  season  everything  in  the  way  of  clothes,  shoes,  etc., 
gets  mouldy  on  the  slightest  provocation.  The  storage  room  of  the  hotel  was 
so  damp  that  we  arranged  to  have  most  of  our  trunks  stored  elsewhere  until  our 
return.      We  will  only  take  a   steamer  trunk  and  two  valises  for  our  inland  trip. 

There  is,  here  in  Batavia,  a  Bureau,  centrally  located,  kept  open  for  the 
travelling  public  and  presided  over  by  a  Mr.  Wymenga,  one  of  the  most  efficient, 
as  well  as  obliging  and  amiable  men  that  I  have  met.  He  arranged  our  travelling 
schedule,  gave  us  valuable  information  and  letters,  and  went  so  far  as  to  store, 
without  charge,   all  of  our  big  baggage   in  the   large   main   office   of  his  Bureau, 


84 

as  he  could  not  recommend  any  other  storage  place  where  dampness  might 
not  injure  our  belongings.  He  was  kindness  itself,  and  I  am  glad  to  put  down 
here  my  appreciation  of  his  treatment. 

We  will  arrive  back  in  Batavia  January  29th  p.  m.,  and  sail  at  noon  of 
the  3 1  st,  but  even  for  that  short  time  we  have  arranged  to  go  to  the  Hotel 
des  Indes. 

BATAVIA,  WEDNESDAY,  AND  BUITENZORG.   THURSDAY, 

January  14-15,    1920. 

Raining  hard  off  and  on  and  very  hot  between  showers.  It  is  only  the 
last  two  days  that  we  have  realized  we  were  in  the  tropics.  We  are  anxious  to 
get   out   of  Batavia   into   the   higher   country. 

We  took  the  2:17  p.  m.  train  and  arrived  at  Buitenzorg  (elevation  800  to 
900  feet)  about  3:30,  going  straight  to  the  Bellevue  Hotel.  We  had  rooms 
opening  onto  a  back  piazza  w^ith  a  most  gorgeous  view  of  Mt.  Salak,  across 
green  fields  w^ith  many  coconut  groves,  betw^een  w^hich  flows  the  Yisadane  River, 
one  of  the  very  finest  view^s  that  I  have  seen.  A  touch  of  local  color  is  given 
by  the  native  women,  who  crowd  the  banks  of  the  river  to  wash  their  clothes, 
•which  they  do  standing  knee  deep  in  the  water  and  pounding  the  clothes  on  the 
stones  of  the  banks.  There  is  hardly  a  minute  of  the  day  w^hen  this  is  not 
going  on.  Also  crowds  of  naked  children  bathe  and  play  in  the  swift  running 
current.      The  river  is  only  w^aist  deep  in  the  center. 

Buitenzorg  is  the  official  residence  of  the  Governor  General  of  the  Dutch 
East  Indies,  and  many  of  the  official  departments  are  located  there.  It  is  conse- 
quently a  small  city  inhabited  mostly  by  Europeans  (about  25,000).  Its  prin- 
cipal title  to  fame  is  the  Botanical  Gardens  of  150  acres,  said  to  be  the  finest 
in  the  world.  We  w^alked  through  them  for  an  hour,  but  very  superficially,  on 
Thursday  morning.      Admired  the  Victoria  Regia  w^ater  lily,   now  in  bloom,   etc. 

We  were  met  here  by  a  native  guide  called  Siman,  highly  recommended, 
who  will  accompany  us  on  our  trip.  He  was  guide  to  Governor  Har»ison  during 
his  recent  stay  here,  partly  as  the  guest  of  the  Governor  General.  By  the  w^ay, 
Harrison  had  been  as  good  as  his  word  and  had  cabled  that  I  was  coming.  So 
the  Secretary  of  the  Colonies  told  me,  but  although  the  Governor  desired  to  see 
me  it  could  not  be  arranged  for  Thursday,  our  only  day,  and  so  it  w^as  under- 
stood that  I  should  notify  him  when  I  returned  from  our  trip.  This  I  shall  not  do 
and  so  the  incident  ends  without  our  hobnobbing  with  his  excellency. 

The  weather  here  is  delightfully  cool  compared  with  Batavia  and  there 
are  light  woolen  blankets  at  the  foot  of  the  bed.  This  morning  at  half  past  six 
the  view  of  the  mountain  and  valley  was  a  glory.  Unfortunately  it  rains  a  good 
deal  and  we  were  caught  both  in  the  carriage  and  the  motor  drive  that  we  took. 

This  is  a  small  hotel,  but  very  neatly  and  well  kept.  The  cook  is  a  French- 
man and  the  food  is  well  seasoned. 

In  Java  they  make  a  very  strong  co£fee,  almost  like  an  essence,  and  serve 
it  cold,  to  be  used  with  hot  milk.  I  don't  mind  it  in  the  morning,  but  Nellie 
does  not  like  hot  milk  instead  of  creanx.  For  after  dinner  coffee,  I  get  it  stone 
cold. 

We  are  leaving  tomorrow  (Friday)  at  7  a.  m.  for  Garoet  (elevation  over 
2,000  feet),  which  we  will  reach  at  2  p.  m.  We  expect  to  spend  four  days  there, 
as  it  is  said  to  be  the  beauty  spot  of  Java.  If  we  did  not  have  so  much  ground 
to  cover,  I  would  not  object  to  staying  a  day  or  two  longer  here,  in  front  of  that 
beautiful  view.      The   Botanical   Gardens   would   also    repay   a    longer   inspection. 


85 

I  hope  that  either  at  Batavia  on  our  return,  or  at  Singapore,  where  we  touch 
on  our  way  to  Ceylon,  I  will  find  the  duplicating  letter  heads  that  I  asked  Miss 
Slusher  to  send  me,  as  I  am  using  my  last  book  and  I  would  be  disappointed  not 
to  be  able  to  keep  a  copy  of  this  diary,  to  which  I  devote  considerable  time. 

Mailed  at  Buitenzorg,   January    15,    1920. 
Received  at  San  Francisco,   March   2,    1920. 

BUITENZORG,   FRIDAY,   January    16,    1920. 

Took  the  7:12  a.m.  train  under  the  guidance  of  Siman  and  had  the  first- 
class  compartment  to  ourselves.  The  road  runs  along  the  ridges  of  the  hills 
and  the  views  are  very  fine,  but  the  roadbed  is  rough  and  we  are  so  shaken 
up  at  times  that  it  is  impossible  to  read.  We  changed  cars  once  on  the  way. 
Had  lunch  in  the  diner,  which  was  very  fair,  including  some  canned  apricots 
of  the  Del  Monte  brand. 

The  Island  of  Java  is  only  about  650  miles  long  and  80  miles  broad,  and 
the  railroads  are  only  run  during  the  day  time.  The  express  trains  generally 
start  in  the  early  morning  and  arrive  at  destination  in  the  early  afternoon  to 
avoid  the  hottest  hours.  It  consequently  takes  two  days  to  go  from  Batavia  in 
the  West  to  Surabaya  in  the  East,  the  two  principal  cities  of  Java.  The  fare  is 
about  4^  cents  per  mile  first-class,  3  cents  second  and   1^  cents  third. 

We  pay  Siman  3  florins  or  guilders  ($1.20)  per  day,  plus  one  florin  for 
his  food  and  the  third-class  railroad  fare.  He  speaks  very  indifferent  English, 
but  is  an  experienced  guide  (27  years)  and  not  above  doing  the  work  of  a 
servant,  like  sending  out  the  laundry,  etc.  He  even  washed  some  of  our  clothes 
himself. 

We  find  everything  cheaper  in  Java  than  we  have  been  accustomed  to  else- 
where on  the  trip,   except  automobiles. 

We  are  stopping  at  the  Hotel  Papandajan  (j  pronounced  like  y)  and  have 
two  rooms  with  a  porch,  very  comfortable,  for  20  florins  per  day  ($8.00)  for 
both,  including  meals  of  excellent  quality,  which  is  very  cheap.  It  is  the  best 
hotel  that  we  have  found  in  Java,  so  far,  being  most  efficiently  run — prepare  for 
a  shock — by  a  German.  It  has  regular  bath  tubs  with  hot  and  cold  water,  but 
in  the  bath  rooms  are  also  the  tank  and  dipper  for  those  whom  habit  has  taught 
to  prefer  that  system.     We  found  no  private  baths  in  most  of  the  hotels  of  Java. 

Garoet  is  a  small  and  primitive  town,  a  mountain  resort  and  the  center  for 
excursions  to  various  points  of  interest  in  the  way  of  lakes,  springs,  volcanoes, 
etc.  The  roads  are  excellently  kept  up  by  the  government  and  the  views  as  you 
travel  along  them  are  a  great  part  of  the  enjoyment. 

The  Dutch  government,  whatever  may  have  been  its  severity  toward  the 
natives  in  the  past,  resulting  in  several  bad  insurrections,  is  now  trying  to  develop 
the  country  along  lines  equitable  to  them,  in  the  way  of  education,  both  literary 
and  technical;  land  and  agricultural  credit  banks;  official  pawn  shops,  etc.  It 
has  done  away  with  forced  labor,  except  in  some  of  the  less  developed  islands, 
w^here  life  is  so  easy  for  the  natives  that  they  w^ill  not  w^ork  even  for  pay. 
Consequently  their  labor  is  commandeered  for  building  and  keeping  up  roads 
and  for  emergency  work. 

In  the  course  of  the  development  of  the  country  the  Government  has  itself 
gone  into  the  production  or  manufacture  of  different  agricultural  products,  such 
as  sugar,  coffee,  etc.,  by  compulsory  farming  on  the  part  of  the  natives;  but  as 
fast  as  practicable  it  has  withdrawn  in  favor  of  private  enterprise.  Though  the 
natives  undoubtedly  suffered  from  this  high  handed  policy,  it  is  also  a  fact  that 


86 

but  for  this,  the  country  would  never  have  been  developed,  and  the  natives  would 
never  have  learned  to  work.  The  industry  of  coffee  growing  is  the  only  one  in 
which  the  government  is  still  interested,  side  by  side  with  private  undertakings. 

Sugar  is  the  most  important  export  product  of  the  Dutch  East  Indies,  but  of 
course  the  main  product  by  far  is  rice,  the  chief  food  of  the  natives.  Along  the 
railroad  w^e  saw  practically  nothing  but  rice  fields,  terraced  right  up  along  the 
slopes  of  the  hills,  as  well  as  in  the  valleys,  all  under  irrigation  and  in  a  beauti- 
ful state  of  cultivation,  every  weed  being  taken  out  by  hand  labor,  largely  of 
women.      Indian  corn  is  also  largely  cultivated  as  a  secondary  native  food. 

To  show  w^hat  a  tropical  agricultural  paradise  these  Dutch  East  Indies  are, 
it  is  only  necessary  to  give  a  list  of  their  products,  actually  grown  and  capable 
of  indefinite  expansion.  Sugar,  coffee,  tea,  tobacco,  quinine,  rubber,  coconuts, 
rice,  corn,  plantains  and  bananas,  tapioca,  sago,  peanuts,  indigo,  pepper,  etc., 
etc.      Also  a  wide  range  of  tropical  fruits. 

As  also  show^ing  how^  much  and  how  hard  it  rains  here,  the  native  huts  that 
line  the  right  of  w^ay  of  the  railroad,  surrounded  by  coconut  palms,  bananas  and 
other  trees,  are  made  of  a  bamboo  matting  on  a  frame  of  poles,  but  are  largely 
roofed  with  red  tiles,  instead  of  thatch,  as  in  Japan,  China  and  the  Philippines. 

in  fact  it  rains  so  much  and  so  hard  here  that  it  interferes  a  great  deal  with 
our  enjoyment  of  the  trips  that  we  take,  outside  of  the  fact  that  it  keeps  all  our 
clothes  feeling  damp  and  clammy. 

We  found  Mrs.  Chisholm  and  party  here  and  she  was  overjoyed  to  see  us. 
She  deeply  regrets  that  we  cannot  continue  to  travel  in  company  for  she  gets 
very  lonesome.  But  she  is  a  sick  woman  and  really  ought  to  start  right  back 
home. 

GAROET,  SATURDAY,  January  17,  1920. 
We  visited  by  motor  this  morning  two  beautiful  little  lakes  within  a  few 
miles  of  the  hotel;  also  some  hot  springs.  We  were  pestered  by  beggar  children, 
carrying  flowers  that  they  forced  upon  us.  Along  the  road  were  a  great  many 
fish  ponds,  where  the  natives  grow  fish  for  sale.  1  believe  there  are  several 
varieties  but  w^e  only  saw  a  species  of  sucker  that  seems  to  be  able  to  live  a 
long  time  in  very  little  water  and  that  not  renew^ed.  We  also  visited  a  native 
market  place  that  was  in  full  activity,  that  being  the  special  day  of  the  week  for 
that  particular  village.  These  free  market  places  are  a  feature  of  the  land  and 
a  very  good  one.  They  consist  of  a  row  of  sheds,  well  built  and  well  kept,  under 
which  on  one  or  more  days  of  the  week,  according  to  the  size  of  the  place,  the 
native  products  are  brought  by  the  sellers,  and  the  buyers  lay  in  their  supplies 
for  the  day  or  the  week.  We  saw  exposed  for  sale  everything  from  agricultural 
implements,  dry  goods,  all  kinds  of  food  products  including  live  goats,  down  to 
flower  petals,  herbs  and  roots  for  perfuming  clothes.  The  younger  portion  of 
the  population  do  not  need  the  latter  as  they  largely  wear  no  clothes  at  all,  and 
some  of  their  elders  get  along  with  very  little.  The  native  women  generally 
wear  a  sort  of  loose  combing  sack  and  a  dress  made  of  batik  or  native  cloth. 
This  is  calico,  covered  with  a  pattern  put  on  with  colors  mixed  with  hot  wax, 
and  fixed  by  some  native  process.  The  production  of  batik  cloth  is  quite  a 
large  native  industry.     Some  of  it  is  very  attractive  and  quite  expensive. 

GAROET,  SUNDAY,  January    18,    1920. 
We   decided   not   to   visit   any    of   the   volcanoes,    all   of   which    necessitate   a 
hard  trip  on  horse  back  or  in  a  sedan  chair,  but  confine  our  further  excursions  to 
an  automobile  trip  of  several  hours  that  carries  us  along  the  base  of  the  moun- 


87 

tains,  encircling  the  valley  in  which  Garoet  stands.  We  started  at  7 :00  a.  m. 
taking  a  cold  lunch  from  the  hotel,  and  did  not  get  back  until  after  3  :00.  The 
roads  were  in  splendid  order  and  the  scenery  is  considered  the  finest  in  Java. 
It  well  repaid  us  but  we  saw  nothing  to  compare  with  the  grandeur  of  some  of 
our  California  mountain  trips.  We  were  caught  by  a  hard  tropical  shower  but 
by  putting  up  the  curtains  we  kept  perfectly  dry.  The  car  was  a  very  com- 
fortable Hupmobile  and  the  charge  $50.00  for  the  day's  excursion. 

GAROET,  MONDAY,  January   19,    1920. 

We  had  already  decided  to  rest  up  today  and  take  no  long  or  hard  trips. 
It  was  just  as  well  for  it  rained  all  last  night  and  most  of  today.  When  in  the 
afternoon  we  went  out  for  a  short  trip  we  had  to  turn  back  on  account  of  rain. 
In  Java,  November,  December,  January  and  February  are  the  wettest  months—— 
and  May,  June,  July  and  August  the  driest.  Hence  we  are  here  at  the  wrong 
time  for  tourists.  In  addition  to  that  it  rains  more  in  this  mountainous  section 
than  in  the  plains. 

We  went  to  the  Government  pawn  shop,  but  in  accordance  with  our  ex- 
pectation, though  contrary  to  the  guide  book,  there  was  nothing  attractive  to 
be  seen  there.  The  auction  of  unredeemed  pledges  takes  place  tomorrow.  There 
was  quite  a  crowd  there  to  borrow  and  redeem.  The  pawn  shop  is  quite  an 
institution  in  native  life.  Our  guide  told  us  quite  naturally,  to  show^  the  good 
quality  of  a  batik  sarong  or  dress,  that  he  owns  one  w^hich  he  had  pawned  at 
times  for   13   guilders    ($5.20).      By  the  way,   on  many  of  the  Malay  Islands,   the 

men  wear  a  dress  instead  of  trousers,  but  their  coats  differ  from  the  women's 

when  they  wear  a  coat.  The  laboring  men  are  generally  stripped  to  the  waist, 
but  the  women  cover  their  busts  with  a  combing  sack — which  however  is  not 
infrequently  left  open. 

The  first  day  we  arrived  we  found  the  Dr.  Fuller  party  here,  but  they  left 
the  next  day;  Mrs.  Chisholm  went  this  morning — both  parties  for  Djokja-Karta» 
whither  we  go  in  the  morning. 

GAROET,  TUESDAY,  January  20,    1920. 

Started  at  6:12  a.  m.  for  Djokja-Karta,  which  is  in  the  plains  and  is  more 
than  half  way  from  Batavia  to  Surabaya.  Arrived  at  I  :30  p.  m.  at  the  Grand 
Hotel,  where  we  have  what  they  call  a  pavilion — a  kind  of  cottage  consisting  of 
a  porch,  two  bed  rooms  and  a  private  toilet  room,  the  bath  being  of  the  tin. 
dipper  variety  with  only   cold  water. 

We  were  so  shaken  that  it  gave  Nellie  a  pain  in  her  spine,  and  she  was 
so  worn  out  that  she  could  take  no  lunch,  except  a  cup  of  tea.  Part  of  the 
discomfort  of  the  train  is  owing  to  the  leather  covered  seats  being  very  slip- 
pery and  with  no  way  of  bracing  one's  feet  to  keep  from  sliding. 

We  did  not  do  anything  this  afternoon  except  to  telephone  to  Mr.  P.  W.  M. 
Trap,  Manager  of  the  Bantoel  Sugar  Factory  about  ten  miles  from  here,  to 
whom  Mr.  Wymenga  has  given  me  an  introduction.  1  arranged  to  go  out  there 
tonxorrow  morning,   leaving  the  hotel  at  seven — rather  late  for  the  tropics. 

The  hotel  here  is  more  citified  but  not  as  well  kept,  nor  the  table  as  good» 
as  at  Garoet. 

We  continue  to  be  well  pleased  with  our  guide  Siman.  His  baggage  con- 
sists of  a  very  small  grip,  a  moderate  sized  roll  and  an  umbrella  (native  paper 
kind).  The  roll  holds  his  sleeping  outfit  and  he  spreads  it  out  on  our  porch  and 
sleeps  there.  He  calls  us  with  great  exactitude  in  the  morning.  His  appearance 
is  comical  in  the  extreme.      He  wears  glasses  and  looks  like  a  colored  preacher^ 


88 

with  poor  teeth;    clad  in  a  blue   serge   coat,    a   sarong  or   dress   for   his   nether 
limbs,  and  a  pair  of  leather  sandals — no  stockings  or  collar. 

In  Garoet  1  had  myself  made  every  evening  before  dinner  (at  8:00  to  8:15) 
a  sort  of  punch  of  Jamaica  rum,  limes  and  sugar,  very  cold,  to  which  we  had 
become  quite  attached.  Nellie  took  no  cocktail  tonight  but  I  had  a  vile  con- 
coction of  vermouth,  heavily  charged  with  Angostura  bitters.  There  is  no  rum 
in  this  hotel  but  I  shall  try  tomorrow  to  make  a  whiskey  punch. 

DJOKJA-KARTA,  WEDNESDAY,  January  21,  1921. 

A  short  auto  drive  took  me  in  a  half  hour  to  Bantoel  plantation  where  I  was 
courteously  received  by  Mr.  Trap,  a  Dutch  Engineer-Chemist,  who  after  gradua- 
tion spent  a  year  in  a  beet  factory  in  Holland  and  came  here  seventeen  years 
ago.  He  has  been  manager  for  seven  years,  of  all  departments.  His  English  is 
slow  and  measured  but  accurate.  I  spent  about  four  hours  with  him  in  office, 
factory  and  field,  and  was  much  interested.  Later  in  the  day,  through  him,  1 
called  and  spent  an  hour  or  two  here  with  Mr.  C.  E.  van  der  Zyl,  of  the  branch 
sugar  agricultural  experiment  station  for  this  and  the  adjoining  province,  where 
about  one-fourth  of  the  sugar  factories  of  Java  are  located.  The  rest  are  still 
further  to  the  east  and  north,  with  Samarang  and  Surabaya  as  the  commercial 
centers.  The  main  sugar  agricultural  station  is  at  Pasoeran  near  Surabaya,  and 
the  technical  control  laboratory  is  at  Samarang  on  the  north  coast.  These  are 
part  of  the  activities  of  the  Association  of  Sugar  Manufacturers  of  Java,  to  which 
almost  all  of  the  sugar  companies  belong.  Their  work  is  thoroughly  and  ably 
conducted,  and  all  data  and  satitistics  are  published  and  furnished  to  all  mem- 
bers and  to  outsiders  if  properly  vouched  for.  I  expect  to  get  their  reports  and 
will  give  them  in  return  the  Oxnard  extraction  statement  that  I  have  received 
lately. 

I  append  some  notes  that  I  have  made  of  my  interviews  as  above,   as  they 
will  interest  some  of  our  circle   of  readers,   and  the   rest  know  how  to   skip.      I 
hope  the  statements  are  accurate.      They  are  as  1  understand  them.      I  will  ask 
Miss  Slusher  to  write  these  notes  so  that  they  can  be  easily  eliminated  from  the 
rest  of  the  diary,  and  to  send  a  copy  of  the  sugar  notes  only  to  Messrs.  Howe, 
Zitkowski,  Noble  and  Barry. 
Mailed  from  Djokja-Karta, 
January  22,    1920. 
Received  at  San  Francisco, 
March   16.    1920. 

DJOKJA-KARTA,  JAVA,  January  21,   1920. 
NOTES  ON  JAVA  SUGAR  INDUSTRY. 

In  Java  no  land  can  be  owned  by  any  one  except  natives.  This  applies  to 
Dutch  as  well  as  other  foreigners;  also  to  half  breeds.  Fixity  of  tenure  for 
permanent  improvements  by  foreigners  is  provided  by  leases,  non-revocable, 
with  rentals  revised  every  ten  years. 

In  this  province  and  the  adjoining  one  the  land  all  belongs  to  the  native 
ruler,  who  rules,  assisted  nominally  but  controlled  really,  by  the  representative 
of  the  Dutch  Government,  called  the  Resident.  The  ruler  leases  an  estate,  (the 
average  is  about  4000  to  5000  acres)  to  a  sugar  company  on  varying  terms. 
One  of  the  obligations  undertaken  by  the  sugar  company  is  that  it  must  turn 
over  for  the  term  of  the  lease  to  the  head  men  of  the  village  or  villages  situated 
on  the  leasehold,  one-fifth  of  the  area  leased  for  the  use  of  the  population;  of 
the  remainder,   each  villager  receives  a   small  piece  that  he  is  obliged  to  plant. 


\ 


89 


one-half  in  rice  for  his  own  or  community  account,  and  one-half  in  sugar  cane, 
in  alternate  years.  For  his  work  in  making  the  sugar  crop  under  the  orders 
and  direction  of  the  factory,  the  native  is  paid  on  an  agreed  scale  based  upon 
prevailing  wages,  which  are  about  14  cents  U.  S.  gold  per  day,  of  about  seven 
hours.  The  cane  is  taken  standing  and  is  cut  and  hauled  by  a  factory  gang. 
So  the  native  has  no  interest  in  the  size  of  his  crop  but  is  held  strictly  to  proper 
performance  of  the  work.  Some  estates  are  so  thickly  populated  that  there 
are  five  laborers  to  an  acre;  in  others,  less  than  one  laborer  per  acre;  yet  they 
can  with  difficulty  be  made  to  migrate  if  they  can  scrape  a  living  at  home. 

In  the  other  provinces  of  Java,  the  land  belongs  to  individual  natives  and 
has  to  be  leased  in  the  usual  way,  except  that  the  Government  intervenes  to  fix 
a  minimum  rent  below  which  it  cannot  be  leased,  and  also  to  set  apart  for  rice 
and  other  cultures  a  proper  proportion  of  the  land  for  the  maintenance  of  the 
population.  Even  so,  Java  is  an  importer  of  rice  and  just  at  present  the  Govern- 
ment is  selling  rice  to  the  natives  at  a  controlled  price,  below  the  market  price. 

The  desirable  lands  for  rice  and  sugar,  with  proper  irrigation  rights,  are 
pretty  well  occupied,  and  the  government  is  not  issuing  at  present  any  more 
permits  to  erect  sugar  factories.  The  territory  around  here  is  oversupplied  with 
factories  and  attempts  have  recently  been  made  to  buy  up  and  dismantle  certain 
factories,  and  divide  the  cane  up  among  the  others,  but  owing  to  the  great 
profits  being  made  just  now,  they  have  failed. 

The  land  is  rotated  between  rice  and  sugar  each  year.  No  ratoons  are 
made.  In  the  first  place,  with  the  cheap  labor,  it  would  not  pay;  and  in  the 
next  place,  it  is  an  insurance  against  plant  disease.  About  a  generation  ago,  the 
Java  sugar  industry  was  nearly  destroyed  by  a  cane  disease  called  "sereh",  and 
to  guard  against  recurrence  of  anything  similar  the  following  system  has  been 
evolved:  The  grow^ing  of  seed  cane,  and  commercial  cane,  are  separate  in- 
dustries. 

In  the  mountainous  districts,  where  no  cane  diseases  are  known,  seed  cane 
is  produced  and  sold  to  the  sugar  factories.  An  acre  of  this  cane  plants  about 
ten  acres  of  sugar  factory  nursery  cane.  This  nursery  cane  is  planted  out  of 
season  and  is  about  six  months  old  when  it  is  cut  for  seed,  and  plants  about 
fifteen  acres  for  one.  It  then  ratoons  for  cutting  the  following  year,  but  the 
thing  goes  ao  further.      Mountain  seed  comes  in  every  year. 

One  w^ould  think  from  all  the  above  that  no  expansion  of  sugar  production 
w^as  possible  in  Java.  Such  is  not  the  case.  New  and  improved  varieties  of 
cane  are  being  evolved  with  great  success.  One  variety,  D-28,  only  came  out 
of  the  experimental  fields  five  years  ago,  and  already  it  occupies  28  percent  of 
the  factory  cane  fields,  and,  in  two  localities  especially  adapted  to  it,  much 
more.  It  yields  1 5  percent  more  sugar  per  acre  than  the  variety  that  was 
standard   a    few   years    ago. 

In  the  culture  of  rice,  the  natives  use  to  a  great  extent  the  water  buffalo 
and  Indian  bulls  (and  also  the  cows),  for  plowing  under  water  the  thoroughly 
flooded  and  soaked  fields  with  a  plow,  patterned  after  a  forked  stick;  and  to 
harrow  the  muddy  clods  with  an  implement  like  a  big  rake.  Only  one  or  two 
animals  are  used  as  the  checked  fields  are  small.  The  rice  is  sprouted  in  seed 
beds  and  planted  out  by  hand,  a  couple  of  spears  every  ten  or  twelve  inches 
each  way;    also  kept  absolutely  free  from  weeds  by  hand. 

But  in  cane  culture  everything  is  done  by  hand.  First  a  small  trench  about 
a  foot  deep  and  18  inches  wide  is  dug  by  hand  every  3^  feet,  and  up  to  every 
five  feet    (according   to   each   manager's  views),    right  across   the   fields,    the   dirt 


90 

being  thrown  out  on  each  side.  Into  the  thoroughly  loosened  earth  at  the  bot- 
tom a  section  of  cane  with  two  eyes  is  planted,  and  as  it  grows  the  earth  is 
thrown  back  to  it  by  hand  gradually,  until  the  usual  ridge  and  furrow  appearance 
of  cane  is  produced.     All  weeding  by  hand  implements. 

Drainage,  where  cane  fields  alternate  with  rice  fields  that  are  flooded,  is 
not  an  easy  problem,  but  they  have  worked  it  out  and  their  ditch  system  is 
excellent. 

The  average  cost  of  making  sugar  in  all  the  factories  of  Java,  for  the  five 
years  preceeding   1914,  was  about    1.75   cents  per  lb. 

Mr.  Trap  told  me  he  expected  to  make  sugar  this  coming  year  for  2:36 
cents.  This  is  white  granulated  but  not  at  all  of  our  standard — coarse  grained 
and  off  color.     The  selling  price  today  is  about  9^/2   cents  for  the  next  crop. 

BANTOEL  FACTORY. 

Has  a  lease  for  700  bowes — 1225  acres  of  cane  yearly,  which  produce  on 
an  average  about  70,000  long  tons  cane;  capacity  of  mill  about  800  tons,  or  a 
campaign  of  three  months;  would  like  to  work  four  months  if  cane  available; 
has  fours  mills  and  the  top  roller  of  the  first  one  is  grooved  somewhat  like  a 
crusher;  they  had  a  Krajewski  crusher  but  replaced  it  with  the  present  installa- 
tion;   use  the  washings  of  the  filter  presses  for  maceration  of  bagasse. 

Mill  extraction  from  year  to  year — 92%  to  93%,  and  factory  extraction 
85%  to  88%,  making  a  total  sugar  extraction  of  80%;  which  gives  him 
10%  to  1  1  %  sugar  in  the  bag.  From  a  general  table,  I  saw  that  the  purity  of 
Java  juices  runs  by  plantations  from  87  down  to  77;  and  purity  of  juices  at 
Bantoel  last  year,  from  first  mill  to  fourth  mill,  also  from  87  to  77,  average  85 
degrees.  The  greatest  factor  in  producing  low  purity  juices  is  cane  lying  down; 
also,  if  they  exceed  about  450  pounds  of  sulphate  ammonia  per  acre,  it  affects 
the  purity. 

Harvest  entirely  with  portable  track  in  fields,  and  the  longest  haul  is 
three  miles. 

Have  almost  enough  fuel  with  bagasse,  but  supplement  with  a   little  wood^ 

Use  about  1  Ya  percent  lime  to  cane  in  two  carbonations,  followed  by  a 
sulfitation;  plate  and  frame  presses  for  carbonations,  but  no  filtration  after* 
sulfitation.  Vertical  lime  kiln,  and  get  53  percent  lime  from  rock.  2%  to 
2J/4%  rise  in  purity  from  treatment  of  juices.  Standard  evaporators;  one  small 
single  effect  to  regulate  density  of  thick  juice  and  to  seed  the  strike  pans  as 
described  later.  Pans  placed  low  on  account  of  liability  to  earthquakes;  dis- 
charge into  crystallizers  whch,  for  the  high  goods,  only  serve  as  storage. 
Magma  pumps  from  crystallizers  to  mixers;  part  of  the  centrifugals  water 
driven  ;  only  object  to  them  because  water  pumps  make  more  exhaust  than  they 
can  readily  utilize;  boil  with  exhaust,  except  two  lower  coils  of  pans;  wash  in 
centrifugals  with  water  first,  and  then  superheated  steam.  Sugar  (coarse 
grained)   dries  without  granulators. 

Make  three  grades  of  sugar — A,  B  and  C.  A  from  thick  juice;  B  grain 
with  thick  juice,  then  A  machine  syrups;  C  grain  with  thick  juice,  then  B 
machine  syrups  of  60  degrees  purity,  then  as  long  as  possible  (18  to  24  hours) 
in  crystallizers.  This  is  a  very  fine  grain,  but  is  washed  to  a  white  and  used  as 
seed  for  A  and  B  pans.     If  any  excess,  remelt  it.     Molasses  31   to  32  purity. 

Another  feature  of  this  work  is  that  they  pass  all  their  sugars  through  the 
centrifugals  twice.  The  first  time  without  washing;  and  then  make  a  new 
magma    with   some    appropriate    product,    machine   again    and   wash.      They   say 


91 

they  do  this  to  avoid  excessive  washing  and  dilution.  Has  only  26  centrifugal 
machines  but  is  putting  in  more  as  according  to  Java  standards  he  should  have 
36.     Uses  ultramarine. 

Has  300  men  on  factory  pay  roll;  men  cheaper  than  labor-saving  machinery. 
Lowest  grade  labor  14  cents  American  gold  per  day.  I  saw  a  machinist's  helper 
working  on  some  brasses;  he  got  32  cents  per  day.  Only  six  Europeans  on 
factory  pay  roll. 

This  is  an  old  factory,  first  started  in  1860.  I  don't  know  how  much  of  the 
old  machinery  is  left.  The  manager  seems  to  get  good  results  for  w^hat 
he  has  to  work  with. 

The  Java  technical  association  divdies  the  sugar  mills  into  four  classes. 
"A",  crusher  and  four  mills;  **B",  crusher  and  three  mills;  "C",  four  mills 
without  crusher;  "D",  three  mills  without  crusher.  A  standard  is  worked  out 
for  each  class  and  a  percentage  rating  given  to  each  factory  according  to  its 
class.  This  puts  all  the  managers  on  an  equality,  whatever  tools  they  may 
have  to  work  with. 

The  Bantoel  factory  made  over  5  J/2  tons  sugar  per  acre  last  year,  and 
expects  over  six  this  year.  The  average  of  Java  is  over  four  tons  from  cane 
cut  every  year,  while  Hawaii,  on  an  average,  hardly  cuts  its  cane  under  eighteen 
months  old. 

Mailed  from  Djokja-Karta,  Java, 
January  22,    1920. 
Received  at  San  Francisco, 
March   16,    1920. 

DJOKJA-KARTA,  THURSDAY,  January  22,1920. 

Nellie's  birthday  was  the  20th  but  I  did  not  remember  it  until  the  next  day, 
an  omission,  as  I  told  her,  of  the  head  and  not  of  the  heart.  We  little  expected 
on  her  last  birthday  that  the  following  one  would  be  celebrated  in  Djokja-Karta, 
Java. 

Travelling  steadily  and  fast  is  hard  w^ork,  or  at  least  w^e  sometimes  feel  it 
so,  but  it  is  intensely  interesting  and  after  we  get  back  home  I  am  sure  that  the 
memory  of  the  discomforts  will  fade  away,  and  leave  only  the  pleasurable 
incidents  to  look  back  upon.  One  great  thing  is  that  we  are  both  keeping 
perfectly  well. 

I  will  finish  up  the  subject  of  sugar  production  by  describing  a  visit  that  I 
made  from  here  to  Samarang,  on  the  north  coast,  right  across  the  Island,  about 
one  hundred  miles,  starting  at  6:35  a.  m.  Friday,  January  23,  and  arriving  a 
little  after  ten.     Nellie  remained  in  Djokja.      I  was  back  in  the  hotel  at  6:30  p.  m. 

I  went  with  letters  to  Mr.  F.  W.  Bolk,  Director  of  the  Technical  (Engineer- 
ing) Department  of  the  Association  of  Java  Sugar  Factories,  and  to  Mr.  Ruben 
Koning,  the  lawyer  who  represents  the  association  of  industrial  companies  that 
rent  land  in  the  two  provinces  of  Djokja-Karta  and  Sura-Karta,  where  the  two 
native  princes  own  all  the  land,  as  distinct  from  the  other  provinces  of  Java. 

In  a  general  way  my  interviews  showed  that  while  the  information  I  had 
previously  obtained  might  not  be  one  hundred  percent  correct,  it  was  prac- 
tically so.  For  example,  there  are  slight  exceptions  to  the  statements  that  all 
seed  cane  is  grown  outside  of  the  plantations  and  that  there  is  no  ratooning  in 
Java. 

The  "Association  of  Sugar  Manufacturers  of  Java",  in  its  industrial  and 
agricultural    experiment    stations    and    other    activities,    spends    about    a    million 


92 

florins  per  year,  and  although  this  only  amounts  to  about  25  cents  to  30  cents 
American  gold  per  ton  of  sugar,  and  the  benefits  are  very  great,  there  is  some 
criticism  on  the  score  of  extravagance.  However,  almost  all  factories  are  mem- 
bers, even  though  some  few  will  not  take  the  trouble  to  make  the  proper  checks 
and  measurements  to  get  the  full  benefit  of  the  central  control,  and  some  few 
also  refuse  to  publish  figures.  Still  the  reports  I  was  given  cover  143  factories 
out  of  about  160.  These  reports  are  published  in  English  also,  for  exchange  with 
other  individuals  and  organizations. 

In  Samarang,  in  a  suburb  just  outside  of  the  city,  the  Association  has 
large  grounds,  with  two  large,  adjoining  stone  buildings  of  one  story, 
for  the  Technical  (Engineering)  and  the  Chemical  controls.  The  Technical 
employs  eight  engineers,  twenty  other  white  clerks  and  nearly  one  hundred 
natives.  The  Chemical  not  so  many  unskilled  employees.  Adjoining 
the  Technical  at  the  back,  they  are  building  a  factory  for  experimenting  on  a 
large  scale;  with  three  mills  of  36  x  30  inch  rolls,  a  vacuum  pan  (apparently  8 
feet),  etc.,  etc.  All  the  employees,  including  natives,  are  suitably  housed  on 
the  grounds. 

The  control  exercised  by  the  Engineering  Department  ends  after  the  mill 
work,  when  the  mixed  thin  juice  is  controlled  to  the  end  by  the  chemists.  This 
necessarily  cannot  apply  to  the  machinery  proper  and  the  Engineering  Depart- 
ment has  furnished  Bantoel  factory  w^ith  the  drawings,  after  its  own  plans,  for 
the  enlargement  and  rebuilding  of  the  boiler  house  that  I  saw  going  on.  The 
Director  of  the  Chemical  Department  was  out  so  I  could  not  meet  him. 

The  Station  recommends  carbonation  for  making  whites,  although  the 
figures  of  purification,  yields  and  final  molasses  test  do  not  show^  any  advantage. 
The  quality  of  the  sugar  does.  They  also  strongly  uphold  the  universal  practice 
of  two  centrifugalings;  the  first  without  washing,  as  a  better  way  of  separating 
the  green  and  wash  syrups  than  by  change  of  gutters  as  we  do,  and  worth  the 
expense  for  the  effect  on  quality  of  sugar. 

Their  mill  extraction  to  weight  of  cane  is  inferior  to  Hawaii,  for  two  rea- 
sons: First,  their  cane  on  an  average  contains  more  fibre;  and  second,  they  dare 
not  screw  down  their  mills  too  tight  for  fear  of  breakage,  owing  to  the  difficulty 
of  replacing,  as  their  machinery  all  comes  from  Europe.  This  has  been  a  com- 
pelling reason  since  the  war. 

Owing  to  this  greater  fibre  content,  the  bagasse  is  practically  sufficient  for 
fuel.  Wood,  the  other  fuel  used  when  necessary,  only  costs  for  the  Java  fac- 
tories as  a  whole,  about  35  cents  per  ton  of  sugar. 

Mr.  Ruben  Koning  told  me  that  after  next  campaign,  the  system  of  land 
leases  was  to  be  changed  in  the  two  "native  prince"  provinces,  in  that  the 
natives  would  no  longer  be  compelled  to  grow  cane  on  the  leased  land.  This 
would  mean  a  rise  in  wages.  But  these  provinces  would  still  offer  to  the  fac- 
tories the  advantage  of  long  leases,  as  against  a  yearly  renewal  of  leases  com- 
pelled by  law  in  other  parts  of  Java,  where  the  land  is  generally  owned  in  small 
parcels  and  in  a  combination  of  individual  ownership,  with  village  community 
control. 

I  have  stated  to  technicians  here,  my  suprise  that  the  cost  of  making 
sugar,  under  their  conditions,  was  as  high  as  1  ^  cents  per  pound  in  pre-war 
times.  The  only  explanation  offered  was  that  planting  afresh  every  year  was 
expensive.  The  people  I  have  met  have  not  been  authorized  to  give  me  their 
figures  of  cost,  but  1  am  going  to  try  to  get  these  in  exchange  for  the  figures  of 
our  costs,  as  we  publish  these  in  our  annual  statements  in  any  case. 


93 

Speaking  again  of  future  increase  in  production,  I  was  told  that  the  amount 
of  irrigation  water  available  for  sugar  cane  was  the  limiting  factor  and  that 
the  government  was  working  tow^ard  a  stricter  and  more  scientific  control  of 
irrigation,  to  make  the  water  go  further. 

I  found  no  great  optimism  as  to  the  future  of  the  industry  when  prices 
return  to  normal.  I  was  surprised  at  this  as  conditions  appear  to  me  ideal. 
They  say  that  in  the  years  previous  to  the  war  profits  were  not  large,  and  there 
is  great  hostility  among  the  natives  to  the  sugar  industry,  which  they  hold 
responsible  for  the  scarcity  of  rice.  This  is  ridiculous  for  the  Island  taken  as  a 
whole.  There  are  less  than  400,000  acres  of  cane  raised  yearly,  as  against 
6,000,000  to  7,000,000  acres  of  rice.  But  the  tendency  is  strongly  in  the  direc- 
tion of  giving  the  natives  the  management  of  their  own  local  afifairs  and  this 
animosity  is  disquieting. 

As  to  expansion  in  other  Islands  than  Java  the  outlook  is  poor.  Sumatra 
is  where  conditions  would  seem  most  favorable  but  for  the  fact  that,  being 
exactly  on  the  equator,  the  tw^o  seasonal  trade  w^inds  or  monsoons  are  absent. 
These  seasonal  winds  are  what  make  for  a  marked  difference  between  the  wet 
and  the  dry  seasons,  necessary  to  successful  sugar  production. 

The  sugar  campaign  in  Java,  coincides  with  the  dry  season,  May  to 
August. 

I  shall  not  attempt  to  visit  ony  more  plantations.  The  Java  mills  in  general 
are  not  as  modern  as  those  1  have  seen  in  Hawaii,  Cuba  and  the  Philippines.  It 
is  more  the  agriculture  and  the  general  outlook  that  interests  me.  As  railroad 
travel  is  very  uncomfortable,  we  will  not  go  further  east  to  Surabaya  but  will 
retrace  our  steps  by  way  of  Garoet  and  Buitenzorg  to  Batavia,  whence  we  sail 
on  the  31st.  This  is  against  our  original  plan  of  returning  by  steamer  from 
Surabaya  to  Batavia. 

As  1  read  these  notes  over  I  am  reminded  to  add  that,  while  Java  has 
developed  largely  along  the  line  of  white  sugar  production,  this  is  not  because  of 
the  good  quality  of  her  product,  but  must  be  because  her  normal  markets — India, 
China,  Japan,  etc.,  are  not  particular  as  to  quality.  It  would  require  at  least 
J4  cent  allowance  to  sell  her  sugar  for  direct  consumption  in  the  United  States. 
Consequently  Java  is  no  criterion  of  what  Cuba  should  or  will  do. 

The  final  molasses  is  sold  here  partly  for  alcohol;  partly  to  the  natives  for 
consumption;    and  partly  for  export  to  China,   in  almost  solid   form. 

The  famous  D-28  variety  of  cane,  by  the  way,  is  not  a  product  of  the 
experimental  station  here  but  was  bred  from  a  seedling,  by  a  private  individual. 


N.  S.  O. 

There  is  not  much  in  Djokja  proper  to  interest  the  sightseer.  We  drove  around 
the  walls  that  surround  the  palace  of  the  Prince,  but  could  not  gain  admission.  The 
town  is  rather  pretty  and  prosperous  looking,  and  there  are  a  number  of  new  resi- 
dences of  the  cottage  style  in  the  suburbs. 

The  Fuller  party  was  here  for  a  day  or  two  and  we  went  together  one  night  to 
a  tent  theatre  to  see  a  native  play.  The  performance  was  crude  and  not  par- 
ticularly interesting. 

We  started  at  seven  o'clock,  Thursday,  22d,  from  the  hotel  in  Djokja  by  automo- 
bile to  visit  the  Buddhist  temple  of  Boroboedoer,  which  means  "shrine  of  many 
Buddhas",  at  a  distance  of  about  twenty-five  miles.    It  is  a  very  picturesque  ruin 


94 

built  about  a  thousand  years  ago.  It  stands  on  an  elevation,  overlooking  a  beautiful 
valley  where  thousands  of  coconuts  grow,  and  is  a  little  over  one  hundred  feet  high. 
From  a  distance  it  looks  squatty  as  the  area  covered  by  the  base  is  much  larger 
than  the  height;  but  it  rises  in  galleries  becoming  S7naller  and  smaller  and  is  crowned 
on  the  top  by  a  bell  shaped  tower.  The  wall  of  each  gallery  has  bas-reliefs  carved 
in  the  stone  that  the  whole  temple  is  built  of  and  in  the  lower  tiers  there  are  niches 
for  sitting  forms  of  Buddhas.  Many  have  been  removed,  others  with  heads  and  arms 
gone — but  still  there  are  many  in  good  condition.  We  bought  photographs  and  took 
some  of  this  temple,  which  will  be  better  understood  than  any  written  description. 

From  this  temple  we  visited  two  others  on  the  way  back  to  Djokja — much 
smaller  but  very  interesting. 

In  driving  to  and  from  the  temples  we  passed  several  high  mountains — one  an 
active  volcano;  it  is  quite  high  and  risifig  to  a  point  at  the  top,  with  white  smoke 
pouring  out;   the  ideal  formation  of  a  volcano. 

Djokja  is  the  hottest  place  we  have  been  to  in  the  tropics  and  during  the  middle 
of  the  day  it  is  almost  impossible  to  go  out,  but  the  late  afternoon  is  fairly  cool  and 
the  nights  are  comfortable.  Travelling  in  the  trains  is  so  uncomfortable  that  we  did 
not  go  to  Tosari  or  Surabaja;  so  on  Saturday  morning  (January  24th)  at  half  past 
eleven,  in  the  hottest  possible  weather  we  left  on  the  train  for  Garoet,  arriving  there 
at  a  little  after  seven  in  the  eventing.  We  had  a  nice  welcome  from  the  proprietor  and 
his  bookkeeper,  a  woman  born  in  Singapore  and  who  speaks  perfect  English.  She 
handed  us  our  mail  which  had  been  sent  from  Batavia.  We  had  had  no  mail  for 
four  weeks  and  I  can  tell  you  it  was  welcome.  We  had  a  very  nice  letter  from  Al, 
Minnie  Chase,  Ben,  Edward  Howe,  Miss  Slusher,  the  Argonaut  and  three  Chronicles. 
I  think  we  will  get  more  mail  when  we  reach  Singapore  on  our  way  to  Ceylon. 


GAROET.  SUNDAY,  January  25.  1920. 
We  have  the  same  rooms  as  before,  which  are  quite  satisfactory,  and 
although  not  private,  the  bath  arrangements  are  so  good— foreign  bath  tubs 
with  hot  and  cold  water,  exquisite  cleanliness  and  several  bath  rooms — that  we 
are  w^ell  pleased  with  them.  The  German  proprietor,  A.  Hacks,  is  certainly  a 
hard  w^orker  and  has  to  be  a  martinet  to  keep  everything  up  so  well  in  a  slip- 
shod, tropical  country.  He  gets  up  at  4:30  a.  m.  and  himself  punches  a  time  card 
at  six  o'clock  for  each  one  of  his  one  hundred  native  employees.  He  is  de- 
servedly successful  and  has  recently  enlarged  his  hotel  by  acquiring  one  that 
stood  next  to  his  first  venture.  The  British  housekeeper-bookkeeper,  Mrs.  Gush, 
also  is  very  efficient.  Everything  was  ready  for  me  to  make  my  rum  punch  on 
arrival! 

What  is  very  expensive  in  this  country  is  the  automobile,  and  as  we 
patronize  them  liberally,  they  cost  us  more  than  the  board  and  lodging,  which, 
both  here  and  at  Djokja,  was  only  $8.00  per  day  American  plan  for  both  of  us. 
We  did  no  sight  seeing  today,  outside  of  a  walk  through  the  town.  Of  course  it 
rained  part  of  the  day,  but  nothing  like  the  deluge  we  encountered  on  our  first 
visit.  There  is  a  Dutch  barber  who  trimmed  me  up  viry  well.  We  put  in  con- 
siderable tinne,  re-reading  our  letters  and  the  papers  received.  I  was  intensely 
interested  in,  and  very  much  pleased  with,  the  statements  and  details  of  Savannah 
and  can  only  hope  that  Ben  can  continue  to  steer  his  ship  as  successfully  through 
the  shoals  of  such  an  abnormal  sugar  situation  as  confronts  him.  I  hope  he  will 
write  frequently. 

GAROET,  MONDAY,  January  26.   1920. 
This    morning    after    breakfast    we    went    to    Hotel    Villa    Pauline,    about    a 


95 

thousand  feet  higher,  where  one  must  leave  the  motor  and  take  horses  or 
chairs  for  the  ascent  to  the  crater  of  the  volcano,  if  so  minded — -which  we  w^ere 
not.  The  views  of  the  valley  were  superb.  On  the  way  back  we  visited  a  very 
fine  hotel  and  sanitarium,  situated  outside  of  the  town  and  commanding  a  grand 
prospect, — much  better  in  that  respect  than  our  hotel. 

There  is  a  trial  going  on  in  the  town  of  the  leaders  in  a  riot  last  July,  w^hen 
the  people  resisted  the  taking  over  by  the  government  of  part  of  their  rice  crop 
at  a  fixed  price;  four  natives  were  killed,  including  the  head  man  of  a  village 
near  here.     There  are  soldiers  in  town,  but  everything  is  quiet. 

1  have  had  no  massage  since  leaving  Hongkong  and  because  of  this,  and 
perhaps  the  dampness,  the  fingers  of  my  left  hand  have  resumed  some  of  their 
stiffness.  The  improvement  in  the  nervous  tremor  still  holds,  so  1  feel  that  it  is 
a  matter  that  can  be  readily  controlled  when  I  stop  travelling  so  fast. 

I  wrote  to  Billy  Newhall  today.  From  the  papers  we  saw  that  Mrs.  Newhall 
was  in  San  Francisco,  so  he  must  be  back  also.  We  are  leaving  tomorrow  morn- 
ing by  motor  for  Buitenzorg. 

The  native  women  almost  all  chew  a  combination  of  betel  nut,  betel  leaves, 
lime  and  a  very  hot  vegetable  gum.  It  makes  their  lips  blood  red.  In  middle  Java 
they  also  chew  tobacco,  placing  the  quid  between  the  gum  and  the  lips,  in  a  w^ay 
that  gradually  deforms  their  mouths.  At  the  best  they  are  not  a  good  looking 
race,  both  sexes  being  small  and  only  a  very  few  of  the  young  girls  attractive. 
The  men  seldom  chew  but  smoke  little  cigarettes  rolled  of  palm  husks. 

A  great  many  peddlers  come  around  our  porch  to  sell  batik  sarongs  or 
dresses  and  other  articles,  mostly  trash.  Also  companies  of  boys  come  to  play 
on  the  native  bamboo  instruments  that  by  shaking  give  out  a  rather  pleasing 
metallic  sound,  varying  in  tone  according  to  the  diameter  of  the  bamboo.  The 
peddlers  are  as  persistent  as  flies. 

Our  guide,  Siman,  tells  me  that  his  little  girl  began  to  chew  betel  nut  at 
four  years  of  age.      Bud  must  see  to  it  that  he  does  not  get  left  behind! 

GAROET,  TUESDAY,  January  27,   1920. 

Started  in  the  Hupmobile  at  7:50  a.m.  for  Buitenzorg,  via  Bandoeng  and 
Soekuboemi,  where  we  had  lunch,  reaching  the  Hotel  Bellevue  about  4:00  p.  m. 
The  names  of  all  these  towns  of  course  mean  nothing  to  you  all  and  1  am  putting 
them  down  more  for  our  own  future  reference.  They  are  towns  of  from  ten  to 
forty  thousand  inhabitants,  with  from  one  to  five  percent  of  Europeans,  and  five 
to  ten  percent  of  Chinese.  These  latter  control  the  retail  trade  of  the  Islands 
and  it  is  hard  for  the  Government  to  protect  the  natives  financially  from  this 
more  hard-working,  more  intelligent  and  more  energetic  race,  many  of  whom 
have  been  here  for  several  generations.  The  authorities  also  dread  the  pro- 
gressive influx  of  the  Japanese,  as  they  are  more  strictly  excluded  from  the  Amer- 
ican and  English  possessions. 

To  anticipate  a  little,  1  had  an  audience  in  Buitenzorg  with  the  Governor 
General  of  the  Dutch  East  Indies,  Maister  Johan  Graaf  (Count)  von  Limburg 
Stirum,  one  of  the  great  names  of  Holland.  He  is  a  man  of  forty-five  to  fifty, 
speaks  English  perfectly  with  an  English  accent,  and  is  exceedingly  intelligent, 
well  informed  and  broad  minded.  He  is  not  popular  with  the  Europeans  as 
favoring  the  natives  too  much.  His  government  is  just  now  confronted  with  a 
most  serious  problem.  Outside  of  Java,  in  the  other  Islands,  the  natives  do  not 
produce  rice  in  anything  like  adequate  quantity,  although  it  is  their  principal 
food.      They  have  been  accustomed  to  import  the  rice,  mostly  from   Indo-China, 


96 

and  export  their  native  products.  The  pre-war  price  of  rice  was  about  6  guilders 
per  picul,  but  just  at  present  the  price  has  risen  to  36  guilders,  which  is  siniply 
prohibitive.  The  government  is  trying  to  meet  the  situation  by  selling  imported 
rice  to  them  in  small  quantities  at  a  loss  and  compelling  them  to  mix  it  with 
other  products  like  sago,  tapioca,  etc.  This  is  causing  a  great  deal  of  unrest  and 
dissatisfaction.  The  Governor  very  properly  thinks  that  wages  are  entirely  too 
low  in  Java.  He  criticizes  the  sugar  factories  for  their  lack  of  interest  in  the 
welfare  of  the  native  laborers.  He  views  with  anxiety  the  large  army  and  also 
navy  program  of  Japan.  When  I  told  him  that  Japan  had  not  the  facility  or 
means  to  compete  with  the  United  States  in  navy  building,  he  answered:  **1 
don't  doubt  your  ability  to  build  a  large  navy  but  what  about  manning  it?  How 
are  you  going  to  compete  with  the  wages  paid  in  industry  in  your  country  in 
getting  the  personnel  of  your  navy.  The  cost  will  be  stupendous."  He  says 
the  English  Admiral  who  visited  him  lately  is  quite  concerned  over  the  outlook. 
He  was  interested  in  hearing  about  Governor  Harrison,  but  I  had  little  to  say. 
He  wanted  me  to  name  a  day  w^hen  w^e  could  dine  with  him  and  the  Countess 
but  I  had  to  tell  him  we  were  off  next  afternoon. 

At  the  Hotel  Bellevue  we  got  the  only  suite  of  rooms  with  a  private  bath 
(native  style)  and  as  our  porch  looks  out  upon  Mount  Salak  we  are  very  well 
satisfied.  I  am  in  dire  need  of  cooler  clothes  and  as  soon  as  we  got  in  I  sent  for 
a  Chinese  tailor  and  ordered  four  white  drill  suits  (coat  and  trousers)  at  $7.60 
each.  This  was  at  four  thirty,  and  while  we  were  at  dinner  he  came  around 
to  try  on  the  coat.  He  had  promised  them  for  four  o'clock  the  next  day  and 
was  as  good  as  his  w^ord,  but  some  alterations  had  to  be  made  and  I  did  not 
finally  get  them  till  next  morning.  They  are  not  a  Williams  and  Berg  fit,  but 
they  do  very  well. 

BUITENZORG,  WEDNESDAY,  January  28,    1920. 

This  was  the  day  on  which  I  called  on  the  Governor  General  and  also  again 
on  the  Secretary  of  Agriculture,  w^ho  has  promised  me  all  the  figures  of  cost  of 
making  sugar  here,  I  have  also  received  the  figures  of  the  Bantoel  factory  from 
Mr.  Trap.  Therefore  I  will  ask  Miss  Slusher  to  ma^l  a  copy  of  our  last  annual 
report  to  the  following  addresses: 

J.   Sibinga   Mulder, 

Director  of  Agricultural  Department, 
Buitenzorg,    Java. 

P.  W.  M.  Trap. 

Manager  Sugar  Factory  Bantoel, 
Djokja*Karta,   Java. 

As  I  remember,  our  annual  statement  gives  our  costs  in  detail,  but  if  not, 
ask  Mr.  Howe  to  furnish  you  a  statement  for  these  people. 

We  also  took  a  drive  around  the  town  in  the  cool  of  the  evening.  There 
is  a  strong  wind  blowing  so  there  are  no   mosquitoes.      Our   native   lady  friends 

continue  to  wash  themselves  and  their  clothes   at   the   same  time   in  the   river 

also,   indiscriminately,   the   table   crockery. 

BUITENZORG,  THURSDAY.  January  29.   1920. 
At   7:45  a.  m.  we  took  an  hour's  walk  in  the  botanical  gardens  and  on  the 
way  back  dropped  into  the  zoological  museum,  w^hich  houses  a  very  rich  collec- 
tion, almost  exclusively  of  specimens  from  the  Dutch  East  Indies.      The  collection 


97 

of  monkeys,  including  the  orangoutang,  is  particularly  large;  as  also  the  snakes 
and  the  bats,  the  latter  including  the  flying  fox,  which  we  saw  also  in  the  air, 
frequently.  The  larger  animals,  elephant,  rhinoceros,  wild  buffalo,  tiger  and 
other  cats,  tapir,  wild  boar,  etc.,  are  still  quite  plentiful  here  and  the  government 
is  protecting  from  extinction  those  that  are  not  dangerous. 

In  the  afternoon  we  took  the  train  for  Batavia,  arriving  at  6:15,  and  went  to 
the  Hotel  des  Indes,  which  is  a  great  improvement  on  the  Nederlanden.  The 
climate  however  is  much  less  cool  and  agreeable  than  that  of  the  mountain  coun- 
try we  have  just  left. 

BATAVIA.   FRIDAY,  January  30,    1920. 

Took  a  taxi  and  w^ent  dow^n  to  the  bank  to  draw  some  money  and  leave  our 
forwarding  address.  I  also  stopped  in  at  Francis  Peek  and  Company  to  thank 
Mr.  Mejia,  manager  of  their  sugar  department,  for  some  of  the  letters  he  had 
given  me.  He  showed  me  a  Willett  and  Gray  cable  of  January  6th,  quoting 
Cubas  at  1  1  cents  c  &  f,  and  one  of  January  1  2th,  quoting  1  2  cents.  I  was  just 
thunderstruck  as  Ben  under  date  of  November  24th,  had  quoted  8  cents  and 
SYq  cents  f,  o.  b.  I  am  wondering  on  what  basis,  if  any,  Ben  has  since  sold 
refined  against  the  large  amount  of  long  raws  shown  in  his  statement.  If  we 
were  going  to  be  stationary,  1  would  be  tempted  to  cable  for  this  information,  it 
is  so  full  of  possibilities. 

Mr.  Mejia  told  me  that  he  had  a  brother  in  San  Francisco  who  is  a  lawyer. 

I  found  in  a  book  store  some  duplicating  letter  heads  similar  to  what  I  am 
using  now  and  I  bought  two  books,  so  as  to  be  safe  if  I  miss  those  from  San 
Francisco. 

We  must  repack  our  trunks  and  have  them  ready  tonight  to  leave  early  in 
the  morning  for  the  port.  We  have  been  longer  in  Java  than  we  really  wanted 
to  be  and  are  quite  ready  to  leave.  In  Ceylon  we  hope  to  learn  something 
positive  about  our  Bombay  reservations. 

Throughout  our  stay  in  Java,  the  mosquitoes  were  very  annoying — or  even 
worse.  Strange  to  say,  they  were  just  as  bad  in  the  mountain  country  as  in 
Batavia. 

Mailed  in  Batavia,  January  30,    1920. 
Received  in  San  Francisco,  March  23,    1920. 

BATAVIA,  SATURDAY,  January  31,   1920. 

Our  guide  was  off  with  the  big  baggage  bright  and  early  and  we  followed  by 
motor  at  ten  o'clock,  to  be  sure  of  being  on  board  the  "Grotius"  for  her  noon 
sailing.  The  port  is  only  about  eight  miles  from  Batavia.  We  found  our  cabin 
very  comfortable  except  that  it  is  impossible  to  keep  the  port  hole  open,  as  one 
must,  without  one  of  the  beds  (two  low^ers)  being  in  a  strong  draft.  Nellie 
insisted  on  taking  this,  on  the  plea  that  she  is  less  liable  to  take  cold  than  I. 
This  undoubtedly  has  been  true  in  the  past,  but  I  feel  that  my  tonsil  operation 
has  made  me  less  subject  to  colds  than  I  used  to  be.  I  get  a  little  bronchial 
irritation  from  the  sleeping  conditions  in  these  parts,  and  there  it  seems  to  stop. 
I  must  of  course  except  the  grippe  cold  in  Peking,  which  was  a  distinct  infection. 

I  go  to  bed  here  with  only  a  sheet  over  me  and  pretty  soon  I  feel  cold, 
although  my  night  clothes  may  be  damp  with  perspiration.  If  I  draw  a  coverlet 
over  me  then  it  gets  unbearably  hot,  so  that  generally  I  sleep  feeling  cold.  But  I 
do  not  actually  take  cold,  which  is  why  I  claim  an  improvement  from  my  opera- 
tion.     Nellie  always  feels  too  warm. 

I    want   to    correct   a    statement    I   made    about    passenger    railroad    fares    in 


98 

Java.  They  are:  First-class,  AYi  cents;  second  class,  3  cents;  third  class, 
1  J/2  cents  per  kilometer  and  not  per  mile.  This  makes  a  very  high  rate.  I  also 
notice  that  their  freight  box  cars  are  mostly  made  of  galvanized  iron  sheets, 
rivetted  on  a  steel  frame,  with  a  slightly  arched  corrugated  iron  roof.  This 
seems  a  very  practical  type  for  this  country. 

A  universal  feature  of  all  the  towns  we  motored  through,  big  or  little,  is 
a  public  square  or  park  called  in  Malay  the  "Aloon  Aloon"  and  one  side  of 
which  was  practically  always  occupied  by  a  Mahomedan  mosque,  generally  of 
most  modest  appearance.  Most  of  the  natives  wear  a  turban  of  figured  calico 
(batik  work)  but  many  also  the  fez.  Some,  one  on  top  of  the  other.  Apparent- 
ly ninety  percent  of  the  country  population  goes  barefoot,  not  alone  the  coolies 
but  the  people  of  apparently  middle  class — they  have  never  had  a  shoe  on  in  all 
their  lives  and  as  a  consequence  their  toes  spread  out  fan  shaped  instead  of 
being  contracted  by  shoes. 

On  the  "Grotius",   the  English  speaking  passengers  were  by  request  seated 
at  table  together,  so  we  at  once  made  the  acquaintance  of: 
Mr.  G.  H.  Jones,  a  young  Irish  tea  taster  of  Calcutta: 

Mr.  L.  Beling  of  New  York,  a  native  of  Ceylon  (Jones  says  a  Eurasian)  who 
is  buying  tea  for  his  firm,  members  of  the  New  York  Coffee  Exchange: 

L.  J.  Struebig,  w^ife  and  little  girl  of  St.  Louis  (  Assistant  Chief  Engineer  of 
the  Fulton  Iron  Works  Company  travelling  through  Java  to  sell  sugar  mills; 
so  far  unsuccessful  but  very  hopeful  of  doing  business  w^hen  he  gets  to  head- 
quarters in  Amsterdam,  whither  he  is  bound.  He  remembers  perfectly  the 
Adeline  mill  and  is  very  fond  of  Louisiana: 

F.  J.  Struben,  wife  and  two  boys;  he  is  Dutch  and  after  being  manager  of 
tobacco  plantations  near  Djokja-Karta  for  seventeen  years,  is  returning  to  Hol- 
land. He  will  leave  his  boys  at  school  there  with  his  mother,  and  then  go 
straight  to  California  to  try  to  locate  in  some  agricultural  business  there.  They 
spent  a  vacation  of  three  months  there  in  1918;  bought  a  Hudson  closed  car, 
and,  while  making  their  headquarters  in  San  Francisco  (Frisco),  toured  all  over 
the  State  and  consider  it  the  finest  place  on  earth  I 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  C.  Heyblom  and  baby.  We  have  merely  played  bridge 
with  them  a  couple  of  times. 

Mr.  R.  Elzinga,  a  very  pleasant  young  Dutchman — no  particulars. 
We  also  added  to  our  circle  (from  Singapore)  a  young  English  woman,  a 
war  widow,  by  name  Gabbertas,  whose  brother  is  in  business  in  Singapore.  She 
is  going  to  England,  where  she  will  make  up  her  mind  finally  as  regards  marry- 
ing a  rich  Singapore  man,  to  whom  she  is  engaged,  but  evidently  with  whom  she 
is  not  much  in  love.  She  seems  to  have  no  secrets  from  Nellie  and  I  would  not 
be  surprised  if  the  other  passengers  also  had  her  confidence  and  confidences. 

To  come  back  to  our  muttons,  we  parted  with  regret  from  our  guide  Siman, 
and  sailed  promptly  at  noon  for  a  repetition,  the  reverse  way,  of  our  trip  Singa- 
pore-Batavia.  The  same  smooth  sea  and  refreshing  breeze.  Sitting  on  deck, 
reading,  eating  (pretty  well),  playing  bridge,  sleeping,  with  a  salt  water  bath 
once  or  twice  a  day  for  me.  Thus  passed  January  3  I  st  and  Sunday,  February 
1st  and  on — 

SINGAPORE,  MONDAY,  February  2,    1920. 
We  arrived  at  Singapore  early  and  docked  about  eight  thirty.      Mr.  Kelley 
and  David,  the  native  guide,  of  Mrs.  Chisholm's  staff,  were  waiting  for  us  at  the 
dock    (by  Mrs.  Chisholm's  instructions)   and  took  us  up  to  Raffle's  Hotel,  where 


99 

we  found  her  very  much  depressed  and  inclined  to  tears.  She  is  suffering  from 
bronchial  catarrh,  brought  on  by  the  sleeping  conditions,  that  I  have  described 
above,  and  two  young  Singapore  physicians  want  to  inoculate  here  with  an  auto 
culture  serum.  Doctor  Fuller  has  just  arrived  in  Singapore  and  she  is  going  to 
consult  him  before  deciding.  Kelley  says  that  if  he  had  a  magic  carpet  and 
could  transport  her  instanter  back  to  New  York,  she  would  pay  him  one  million 
dollars — but  unfortunately  he  lacks  the  magic  carpet.  Meanwhile  she  is  a 
pathetic  object,  travelling  alone  with  Kelley  and  Jessie.  We  felt  sincerely  sorry 
to  leave  her  under  such  circumstances.  Until  our  steamer  arrived,  she  had 
clung  to  the  hope  that  there  might  be  a  cabin  on  her  that  she  could  get  and 
join  us  again. 

We  went  to  the  bank  for  mail  and  got  a  couple  of  letters.  Nellie  insisted 
there  must  be  more  and  after  a  reluctant  search,  Marie's  were  produced.  There 
■was  nothing  from  Sallie,  and  as  w^e  have  not  heard  from  her  for  a  long  time,  we 
have  a  "feeling"  that  they  may  have  held  out  from  us  one  of  her  letters.  What 
we  did  get  was  Marie's  letter  of  December  2d,  with  all  its  interesting  and  wel- 
come enclosures;  her  Christmas  card,  and  four  letters  from  Herrod  of  Decem- 
ber 3rd,  6th,  13th  and  17th,  for  which  many  thanks.  The  information  regarding 
the  good  rain  in  Southern  California;  the  supply  of  beet  seed;  the  price  of 
sugar;  the  arrival  of  the  things  sent  through  Cook's  and  the  custom  house  parcel 
post  regulations,  are  all  appreciated.  As  regards  reaching  us  by  mail  the  only 
way  now,  or  at  least  when  this  reaches  home,  is  to  address  Care  Credit  Lyonnais. 
We  can  see  now  that  if  no  attention  had  been  paid  to  Cook's,  but  each  one  had 
posted  his  letters  as  written,  figuring  for  himself  on  the  dates  of  the  itinerary, 
and  left  the  rest  to  the  postal  departments,  it  would  have  been  better.  We  are 
afraid  now  that  we  will  get  little  more  mail  until  we  get  to  Europe. 

After  making  a  few  purchases  and  taking  another  little  motor  jaunt  around 
Singapore,  we  boarded  the  "Grotius"  again  and  were  off  by  one  o'clock  for 
Belawan-Deli,    the    port    of    Medan,    Sumatra. 

BELA WAN-DELI,  TUESDAY.  February  3,   1920. 
Anchored  about   6:00   p.  m.  off  Belawan-Deli  and  took  on  about  forty  pas- 
sengers  (not  all  first  class)   and  were  off  again  in  an  hour. 

SABANG,  WEDNESDAY,  February  4,    1920. 

At  about  four  o'clock  we  swung  into  the  beautiful  little  harbor  of  Sabang, 
on  a  little  Island  off  the  north-westerly  tip  of  Sumatra.  This  is  an  important 
tobacco  shipping  port  and  also  the  coaling  station  for  all  steamers  passing  any- 
where near,  as  the  coal  is  good  and  cheap  (relatively).  The  little  harbor  is 
almost  completely  land  locked  by  wooded  hills  and  from  a  little  Club  House  on 
one  of  the  hills,  where  some  of  us  walked  and  had  some  refreshments,  it  looks 
like  one  of  the  beautiful  Scotch  lakes  that  I  have  seen.  The  Clubs  in  the  little 
towns  in  these  parts  are  open  to  the  use  of  all  respectable  looking  foreign 
tourists. 

As  soon  as  the  ship  was  warped  to  the  dock,  a  multitude  of  natives,  running 
forward  and  backward  like  ants,  began  to  truck  bales  of  tobacco  to  be  loaded 
into  the  ship,  while  another  line  of  ants,  with  baskets  of  coal  on  their  backs, 
coaled  ship  from  the  wharf  in  competition  with  a  rival  army  coaling  from 
lighters  on  the  other  side.  The  noise,  particularly  on  the  wharf  side,  was  deafen- 
ing and  we  were  glad  after  dinner  to  go  to  the  movies.  We  saw  the  "Book 
Agent"  with  Dutch  explanations,  translated  to  us  by  one  of  our  party.  Of  all 
the  silly,   improbable  plays,    offered  as  an   insult  to   the  mentality  of  the  public, 


100 

this  was  about  the  worst  I  have  seen.  It  was  a  medium  for  displaying  the  athletic 
activities  of  a  young  man  named  Walsh,  in  the  role  of  "Smiling  Kelly,  the  book 
agent".  His  chief  histrionic  feats  were  jumping,  with  or  without  reason,  over 
fences  and  furniture,  and  scaling  walls  and  houses.  The  pictures  were  exceed- 
ingly well  taken. 

We  got  back  to  the  ship  about  eleven,  and  as  our  cabin  is  on  the  outer  side, 
we  had  a  comparatively  peaceful  night. 

In    Batavia    we    bought    a    quart    of    rum    and    a    quart    of    Canadian    Club 
whiskey.      After   testing   the   ship    cocktails   and   finding   them   wanting,    we   have 
adopted  the  plan  of  getting  only  lemon  juice,   sugar,   ice  and   glasses  sent   down 
from  the  bar  to  the  cabin,  and  making  our  own  toddies.      They  are  some  class, 
though  I  say  it  who  shouldn't!      We  have  allowed  the  widow  Gabbertas  to  share 
them    and    they    "mellow"    the    memory    of    the    late    lamented,    and,    from    the 
vantage  ground  of  the  point  where  the  brook  and  river  meet,  they  stimulate  her 
reluctant  feet  to  wade  in  for  the  second  time. 
Mailed  February  9th,   from   Colombo. 
Received  in  San  Francisco, 
Saturday,  March  27,    1920. 

S.  S.  "GROTIUS".  AT  SEA.  THURSDAY,  February  5,  1920. 
Also  FRIDAY  and  SATURDAY. 
A  salt  water  bath  in  the  morning  (Nellie  fresh  water)  ;  three  meals  a  day, 
enlivened  by  animated  conversation  with  the  waiters,  to  try  and  make  them 
bring  us  ice,  toast,  fried  eggs  turned  over,  crisp  bacon,  etc.,  etc.,  all  of  which  is 
contrary  to  their  routine.  In  addition  to  this  we  play  bridge  once  or  twice  a 
day,  and  hold  our  own  or  a  little  better.  These  are  the  activities  of  the  day, 
and  the  rest  of  the  time  we  read  and  sleep  in  our  steamer  chairs  or  gossip  with 
our  set.  The  weather  is  ideal  for  an  ocean  trip.  Just  enough  balmy  breeze  to 
make  it  comfortable.  Breakfast,  for  which  we  go  to  the  dining  room,  is  my 
best  meal,  because  I  get  just  what  I  want,  the  same  every  day.  Lunch  is  the 
next  best  but  the  table  d'hote  dinner,  while  it  reads  well  on  the  menu  card,  has 
a  mediocre  sameness  that  gets  very  monotonous. 

Mr.  Heyblom  gave  me  some  cigarettes  of  Java  tobacco  that  I  like  quite  welL 
They  cost  4  florins  ($1.60)  per  thousand,  and  I  have  taken  the  address  for  Al 
in  case  he  should  want  to  desert  the  "Home  runs". 

We  have  broken  through  our  rule  and  are  drinking  the  plain  water  of  the 
ship,  on  the  assurance  of  the  Doctor  and  the  Purser.  The  latter  is  quite  a  nice 
young  man  who  sits  next  to  Nellie.  The  ship's  run  varies  between  320  and  360 
miles,  and  we  have  taken  tickets  in  various  "hat  pools"  without  success.  The 
Capain  and  Purser  play  bridge  with  the  passengers,  which  reminds  me  of  my 
early  days,  but  it  is  contrary  to  the  modern  custom  on  English  and  American 
ships. 

Nellie  caught  a  cold,  probably  from  sleeping  in  a  draught,  and  we  con- 
sulted the  ship's  doctor,  not  because  it  was  serious  but  because  she  wanted  to 
be  rid  of  it  before  landing.  He  made  up  a  draught  for  her  to  take  (similia 
similibus)  but  she  only  took  it  a  few  times,  preferring  the  cold. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Ceylon 


103 

COLOMBO.  SUNDAY.  February  8.    1920. 

The  "Grotius"  anchored  about  9:30  a.m.  and  we  left  her  about  10:30. 
Cook's  runner  was  not  on  board,  but  he  had  notified  the  Hotel  Galle  Face  (pro- 
nounced Gall  face)  and  their  runner  took  charge  of  our  baggage.  The  custom 
house  examination  was  perfunctory.  Colombo  harbor  is  protected  from  the 
southwest  monsoon  by  a  number  of  breakw^aters  and  covers  an  area  of  about  one 
square  mile  only. 

We  just  managed  to  get  a  very  good  room  and  bath  on  the  second  floor 
(lift)  but  the  hotel  is  very  full  and  some  people  slept  temporarily  on  cots.  The 
roof  is  just  over  our  room  so  that  it  is  warmer  than  the  lower  floor  of  the  hotel, 
despite  an  electric  fan  that  we  keep   going  all  the  time. 

The  hotel  is  beautifully  situated  on  the  ocean,  about  a  mile  from  town 
and  with  an  open  common,  called  a  park,  in  front.  The  noise  of  the  waves  is 
constantly  in  our  ears.      It  is  a  large  hotel  of  about  a  hundred  and  fifty  rooms. 

Our  fellow  passenger,  Jones,  the  tea  taster  employed  by  James  Finlay  & 
Company,  a  very  large  Scotch  firm  with  several  branches  throughout  the  Orient, 
and  who  is  on  his  way  home  to  Belfast,  is  also  stopping  at  this  hotel.  We  like 
him,  and  invited  him  to  lunch  with  us,  as  also  Mrs.  Gabbertas  and  Mr.  Elzinga, 
who  are  ashore  for  the  day.  After  lunch,  we  took  them  back  to  the  dock  for 
re-embarking,  and  then  under  Jones*  guidance,  (he  spent  two  years  here)  we 
motored  to  a  beach  resort  called  Mount  Lavinia  for  tea  and  also  "took  in"  all 
the  sights  of  the  town;  race  course,  parks,  country  clubs,  etc.  Being  Sunday 
Cook's  was  closed. 

COLOMBO,  MONDAY,  February  9,    1920. 

Went  down  to  Cook's  bright  and  early  and  found  there  a  lot  of  mail,  mostly 
re-addressed  from  Hongkong,  but  some  even  from  Shanghai.  The  "roll  of 
honor"  is  as  follows: 

M.D.O.  November  27th  and  December  9th  and  15th  (2),  two  Christmas 
cards  and  a  quantity  of  enclosures;    the  latest  is  No.   8. 

S.S.W.  November  10th  and  28th,  December  3rd,  9th  and  16th  and  many 
clippings. 

A.S.W.      December   3rd;    L.V.S.,   December    17th;    F.A.S.,   December    17th; 

Nellie  Spreckels,  November  28th. 

Mrs.  Lord,  December   16th   (with  letter  of  introduction  to  Mrs.  Trefusis). 

Miss  Slusher,  December  9th  and  20th. 

Marie  Louise,  November  30th. 

E.  C.  Howe,  December  9th. 

Hache,  October  28th. 

Emily  Condamin,   November  

Ruopp,   December    1st. 

Also  various  newspapers  and  circulars,  and  the  duplicating  letter  books. 
This  was  indeed  a  feast  and  it  took  two  days,  off  and  on,  to  read  it  all  thor- 
oughly. Those  who  read  this  diary  will  accept  this  acknowledgment  of  our 
appreciation  and  thanks,  and  we  will  acknowledge  separately  to  the  others. 

The  salient  points  in  the  news  were  the  deaths  of  Mrs.  Irwin,  Dan  Murphy 
and  Margot  Labranche;  the  engagements  of  Mrs.  Tuttle  and  Alfred  Wilcox;  the 
cheerfulness  under  trial  of  Billy  Newhall;  the  success  of  Evelyn  Poett;  the 
arrival  of  our  Christmas  presents;  the  big  Thanksgiving  storm;  and  the  de- 
pressing information  that  Buddy  was  so  naughty  as  to  be  ignominiously  excluded 
from  his  sister's  birthday  party. 


:104  ■•''' 

Mr.  Smith  of  Cook's  had  heard  from  Bombay  that  the  allotments  for  the 
steamer  to  Port  Said  sailing  March  20th  would  not  be  announced  until  about 
the  middle  of  February,  but  that  our  chances  of  getting  anything  were  not  rosy 
owing  to  our  having  applied  so  late,  and  to  the  further  fact  that  we  were  only 
going  to  Port  Said  and  through  passengers  had  a  preference.  We  were  amazed 
and  indignant,  as  we  had  cabled  an  application  last  July  and  would  gladly  have 
gone  through  to  any  Mediterranean  port.  This  places  us  in  an  awful  dilemma. 
Already  the  end  of  March  is  very  hot  in  Northern  India  and  if  we  miss  this 
steamer  of  March  20th,  the  congestion  out  of  Bombay  in  April  and  May  is 
simply  awful.  It  might  necessitate  our  going  to  some  hill  station  in  India,  to 
await  in  comparative  coolness  until,  say,  June  for  passage.  And  going  through 
the  Red  Sea  in  June,  July  or  August  is  a  perfect  inferno.  Smith's  advice  under 
the  circumstances  is  to  try  to  get  to  Europe  out  of  this  port  as  soon  as  prac- 
ticable, as  there  is  a  better  chance  this  month  than  later. 

In  this  emergency  we  called  for  advice  on  Lee,  Hedges  and  Company,  one 
of  the  prominent  firms  here,  agents  of  Grace  and  Company,  and  presented  to 
their  Mr.  Burns  our  letter  of  recommendation  from  Parker  Elliott,  managing 
director  of  Grace  and  Company  in  Shanghai.  He  confirmed  in  a  general  way 
the  report  of  the  situation  as  described  by  Smith,  but  said  he  w^ould  make  en- 
quiries and  let  us  know^  what  he  could  do  for  us.  After  a  conference  w^ith  Smith, 
they  both  advised  us  to  give  up  the  trip  through  India  and  go  on  the  1  7th  by 
the  S.  S.  "City  of  Lahore",  that  sails  via  Port  Said  for  New  York  without  touch- 
ing at  any  European  ports.  That  is  the  reason  why  accommodation  by  her  is 
available.  There  is  nothing  from  here  in  March  or  early  April.  We  are  terribly 
disappointed,  Nellie  especially,  as  seeing  India  was  her  heart's  desire.  We  also 
feel  that  Cook's  Bombay  office  has  not  treated  us  properly.  The  idea  of  saying 
that  application  last  July  w^as  so  late  as  to  make  our  chances  doubtful  is  ridic- 
ulous. However  we  will  swallow  our  disappointment  and  go  by  the  "City  of 
Lahore"  on  two  conditions:  First,  that  before  she  sails  we  have  not,  as  re- 
quested, received  telegraphic  notice  of  an  allotment  for  the  Bombay  steamer; 
and  Second,   that  w^e  are  sure  of  being  able  to  land  in  Egypt. 

The  government  here  will  not  give  a  visa  for  Egypt  without  in  each  case 
getting  the  authority  of  the  Egyptian  government.  For  this,  the  Colonial  Secre- 
tary here  cabled  on  the  9th  but  may  not  get  his  answer  by  the  1  7th.  He  has  little 
doubt  but  that  the  answer  will  be  favorable.  If  the  answer  does  not  come  in 
time  he  has  very  courteously  said  that  he  would  vise'  our  passports  to  land  in 
Port  Said,  to  proceed  to  Italy,  and  we  will  accept  this.  If  we  are  once  in  Egypt 
and  can  communicate  with  the  American  Consul  General,  the  letter  of  introduc- 
tion to  him  from  Admiral  Grayson  ought  to  get  us  permissian  to  stay  in  Cairo, 
until  the  weather  is  warm  in  Southern  Italy. 

Already  in  Hongkong,  we  had  heard  so  much  of  the  congestion  at  Bombay 
that,  from  Java,  I  wrote  to  the  Colombo  office  asking  them  to  secure  passage 
from  here  late  in  March.  This  w^ould  have  enabled  us  to  go  through  India  and 
come  back  here  for  our  steamer.  I  also  wrote  to  General  Macfarlane,  enclosing 
Josephine's  letter,  and  asking  if  he  could  help  us.  I  found  a  letter  from  him  at 
Cook's,  regretting  that  he  could  do  nothing  and  that  his  temporary  absence  at 
Nuwara  Eliya,  the  hot  weather  Capital  of  Ceylon  (elevation  6200  feet)  made  it 
impossible  to  call;    asking  how  long  we  would  be  in  Ceylon,  etc. 

COLOMBO,  TUESDAY,  February   10.   1920. 
After  a  night's  reflection  we  definitely  decided  to   give  up  the  trip  through 
India,  as  described  above,  and  authorized  Smith  to  go  ahead  with  the  new  arrange- 


105 

ments,  subject  to  the  two  provisos  mentioned. 

We  then  decided  to  utilize  our  time  in  Ceylon  by  taking  an  automobile  trip 
that  would  give  us  a  good  idea  of  the  beautiful  mountain  country  in  the  in- 
terior; this,  by  making  a  circular  tour  inland  and  stopping  at  Nuwara  Eliya  and 
Kandy,  the  show  places  of  Ceylon.  We  invited  Mr.  Jones  to  go  with  us  in  the 
automobile,  as  he  is  a  most  agreeable  travelling  companion  and  knows  the  coun- 
try thoroughly.  Besides,  he  enjoys  bargaining,  so  he  and  Nellie  have  grand 
times,  matching  their  wits  against  the  wily  Indian,  Moorish  and  Singhalese  deal- 
ers in  jewelry,  curios,  etc. 

COLOMBO,  WEDNESDAY,  February   n,   1920. 

We  started  at  7:15  a.  m.  in  a  six-cylinder  Buick  touring  car  that  turned  out 
to  be  a  very  comfortable  one.  The  tariff  was  80  Ceylon  cents,  or  80/ 100th 
rupee,  (about  36  cents  American)  per  mile.  We  took  a  south  westerly  direction 
and  arrived  about  10:30  at  Ratnapura,  where  we  went  to  the  Rest  House  for 
breakfast-lunch.  These  rest  houses  are  owned  by  the  Government  and  were 
scattered  through  the  Island  originally  for  Government  employees,  but  can  be 
used  by  travellers  at  very  moderate  lodging  rates.  The  same  thing  exists  in 
Java.  According  to  locality,  they  run  from  primitive  buildings  merely  flitted 
with  plain  beds,  up  to,  practically,  hotels.  At  not  all  can  you  get  meals,  which 
are  charged  for  at  current  rates.  They  are  generally  located  w^ith  magnificent 
view^s  of  the  country.  This  one  not  only  served  us  eggs,  coffee  and  toast  with 
good  tinned  butter,  but  also  alcoholic  and  other  ingredients  for  making  a  de- 
licious punch.  No  ice  however.  We  also  sent  a  coolie  out  to  climb  a  coconut 
tree  and  bring  us  back  a  couple  of  unripe  coconuts  of  which  we  drank  the 
water,  or  so-called  "milk**,  of  which  both  Nellie  and  I  are  fond. 

Ratnapura  is  at  the  beginning  of  the  hilly  country  and  from  there  on  we 
climbed  more  or  less  constantly.  The  roads  are  lined  with  thatched  cabins  and 
occasional  villages,  all  reminding  us  greatly  of  the  other  tropical  countries  we 
have  passed  through,  except  that  children  did  not  seem  quite  so  numerous.  The 
men  often  wear  their  hair  long  and,  as  they  dress  in  skirts  instead  of  trousers, 
it  is  hard  from  behind  to  distinguish  the  sexes.  Whether  long  or  short  haired 
they  wear  often  a  comb  like  the  old  fashioned  school  girKs  comb,  but  stuck  on 
top  of  the  head.  The  countrymen  are  often,  perhaps  generally,  stripped  to  the 
waist,  but  the  women  wear  a  sort  of  very  short  sack  that  leaves  a  band  of  Hesh 
exposed  between  it  and  the  skirt,  which  is  merely  a  piece  of  cotton  material 
wound  around  their  bodies  from  the  waist  down.  The  Indian  women,  as  dis- 
tinguished from  the  Singhalese,  wear  gold  and  silver  ornaments  attached  through 
their  nostrils,  as  well  as  ear-rings  and  bangles  for  arms  and  legs. 

We  here  saw  for  the  first  time  a  work  elephant  going  along  the  road,  with 
its  driver  sitting  on  its  neck.  We  later  saw  several  more,  but  none  happened  to 
be  drawing  any  load,   so  we  did  not  see  how  they  harness  them  up. 

The  agricultural  features  of  the  low  lands  are  the  rice  fields,  terraced  up  as 
in  Java,  but  not  nearly  so  abundant;  also  tapioca.  As  the  altitude  increases  you 
see  first  coconut  groves  and  rubber  plantations,  and  then  tea  plantations  which 
continue  up  to  the  highest  altitude  we  reached,  over  6,000  feet.  The  tea  plants 
are  only  six  feet  apart  and  are  kept  pruned  low  and  bushy.  The  leaf  looks 
like  that  of  a  camelia  and  in  fact  1  was  told  it  belongs  to  that  family. 

From  Ratnapura  w^e  took  an  easterly,  then  north  easterly  and  then  northerly 
route,  the  road  continually  rising,  passing  an  occasional  small  town  and  giving 
us  the  most  delightful  views  of  mountain  scenery  imaginable.  The  Buick  was 
not  in  first  class  condition,  probably  the  cylinders  needed  scraping,  and  we  were 


106 

in  intermediate  a  good  deal  and  occasionally  in  low. 

We  arrived  at  Bandarawella  Hotel  (120  miles — altitude  4,000  feet)  about 
four  o'clock,  and  found  very  fair  rooms  that  we  had  telegraphed  for  ahead.  It  is 
never  safe  nowadays  to  go  anywhere  without  telegraphing  ahead  for  accom- 
modations. We  also  found,  what  seemed  equally  important  to  me  in  my  some- 
w^hat  tired  condition,  the  necessary  ingredients  for  the  customary  punch.  The 
hotel  is  rather  attractively  situated  and  the  place  is  considered  a  good  summer 
resort,  but  I  should  think  there  was  nothing  to  do  there  except  rest.  One  of 
the  guests  had  a  pet  mongoose  that  she  carried  about  in  her  arms  and  allow^ed 
to  crawl  over  her  and  lick  her  face.  It  is  a  kind  of  ferret  with  the  reputation  of 
being  fierce,  but  this  was  a  young  one.  She  gave  exhibitions  of  how  it  could 
catch  lizards  on  the  walls  and  it  found  a  frog,  w^hich  it  killed  and  ate.  When 
after  that  it  licked  her  face.  Auntie  w^as  pleased. 

BANDARAWELLA,  THURSDAY,  February  12.   1920. 

Started  about  9:00  a.  m.  for  Nuwara  Eliya,  some  sixty  miles.  A  steady 
climb,  sometimes  very  steep,  but  beautiful  scenery.  The  steepest  slopes  seem 
to  be  none  too  steep  for  tea  culture,  and  one  wonders  how  the  earth  on  these 
slopes,  which  are  kept  cleanly  cultivated,  does  not  wash  and  gully  badly.  Tea 
pays  very  well  now  and  the  jungle  is  being  cleared  and  planted  quite  extensively. 
The  trees  are  felled  and  w^hen  dry  enough  burned,  and  on  one  occasion  w^e  had  to 
pass  within  a  few^  feet  of  a  brisk  fire.  We  saw  gangs  of  women  and  children  w^ith 
big  baskets  fastened  on  their  backs,  "plucking"  the  tender  new  leaves  to  w^ither 
them,  after  which  they  are  rolled  and  allowed  to  ferment  to  a  certain  point 
before  drying,  or  "firing".     Green  tea  is  not  fermented. 

The  whole  country  seems  full  of  botanical  gardens.  We  visited  one  on  the 
way  at  Hakgala,  that  was  very  beautiful,  rather  than  interesting,  and  with  a 
splendid  mountain  outlook. 

About  twelve  o'clock  we  arrived  at  Nuwara  Eliya,  the  summer  capital  and 
sanatorium  of  Ceylon,  where  we  had  only  a  fair  room  at  the  Grand  Hotel. 
Lucky  to  get  that  for  it  is  race  week,  and  golf  and  tennis  tournaments  are  in 
progress. 

Nellie  received  from  Mrs.  Lord  by  mail  a  letter  for  Mrs.  Robert  Trefusis. 
He  is  the  Aide  de  Camp  of  the  Governor,  Sir  William  Manning,  and  as  the  latter 
is  unmarried,  she  receives  at  Government  House,  Colombo,  and  Queen's  Cot- 
tage, Nuwara  Eliya.  Nellie  sent  her  a  note  with  Mrs.  Lord's  letter  and  she  in- 
vited us  to  lunch  tomorrow.  I  also  called  on  General  Macfarlane  and  as  he  was 
out  left  my  card,  but  up  to  the  time  of  leaving  next  day  I  had  not  heard  from  him. 

During  the  afternoon  we  motored  around  to  see  the  sights  mentioned  in  the 
guide  book,  but  saw  nothings  of  commanding  interest.  Nellie  bought  a  few  nick- 
nacks  in  the  way  of  hair  pins  and  rings  with  small  rubies,  sapphires  and  moon- 
stones. 

NUWARA  ELIYA,  FRIDAY,  February  13,   1920. 
(Pronounced  Nuralia).      At  eleven  o'clock  we  went  to  Queen's  Cottage  for 
early   lunch,    or  as   Mrs.   Trefusis  put   it    "a   French  breakfast".      Besides   His   Ex- 
cellency and  the  Trefusis,  the  only  others  were  an  English  lady , 

who  is  trying  desperately  to  get  home,  and  a  Miss  Richardson.  Her  mother,  by 
second  marriage,  is  wife  of  Captain  Wisom,  R.N.,  whose  ship  is  in  Indian  Waters. 
He  distinguished  himself  in  the  Eastern  Mediterranean.  Miss  Richardson  asked 
me  if  I  knew  Mrs.  Reginald  Brooke  and  it  turned  out  that  her  mother  was  one  of 
those  to  whom  Ruth  Brooke  had  written  about  us,  and  whom  Ruth  had  asked  us 


107 

to  look  up.  The  mother  is  stopping  at  the  Galle  Face  Hotel  in  Colombo  and 
after  we  got  back  from  our  motor  trip  Nellie  looked  her  up  and  she  went  for  an 
airing  in  a  taxi  w^ith  us  the  day  before  we  sailed* 

Nellie  sat  next  to  the  Governor,  but  found  him  very  hard  to  talk  to.  Later 
we  learned  that  he  suffers  intensely  from  shyness,  perhaps  the  result  of  his  un- 
fortunate voyage  on  the  sea  of  matrimony.  He  married  a  woman  much  younger 
than  himself,  who,  (not  unnaturally,  Nellie  says)  ran  away  with  another  man, 
whom  she  later  married  when  the  Governor  divorced  her. 

The  "breakfast**  was  only  fair  and  we  did  not  stay  long  after  it  was  over, 
as  we  had  to  motor  to  Kandy  in  the  afternoon. 

We  started  about  1  :30  p.  m.  and  had  a  continuation  of  the  beautiful  moun- 
tain scenery  of  the  previous  two  days.  The  road  runs  over  the  Ramboda  Pass, 
and  the  steep  slopes  of  the  hills  on  each  side  are  covered  with  tea  "gardens**,  as 
they  are  called.  There  is  a  water  fall  that  is  worthy  of  being  in  the  Yosemite, 
though  it  would  not  outrank  the  great  ones  there.  The  roads  continue  to  be  in 
excellent  condition,  rolling  up  and  down,  but  mostly  down  as  we  descend  from 
Nuwara  Eliya  (6,200  feet)  to  Kandy  (1,600  feet).  It  was  only  when  we  had 
reached  here  and  Nellie  felt  all  right  again,  that  she  said  she  had  suffered  from 
a  pain  in  her  heart  all  the  time  we  were  in  the  higher  altitudes. 

I  failed  to  note  above  that  both  the  Honorable  and  Mrs.  Trefusis  were  most 
charming  and  agreeable.     We  did  not  see  their  little  girl  who  was  having  her  nap. 

We  arrived  at  Kandy  (30,000  inhabitants)  about  4:00  p.  m.,  at  the  Queen*s 
Hotel,  a  large  and  comfortable  place  where  we  got  a  good  room  with  electric 
fan  but  no  private  bath.  In  Ceylon  you  generally  find  bath  tubs,  but  occasionally 
(in  rest  houses)  only  the  tin  dipper.  The  electric  fan  is  more  important  than 
the  private  bath. 

After  settling  ourselves  we  started  out  again  in  the  motor  and,  after  circling 
the  artificial  lake  that  is  a  feature  of  the  town,  we  went  to  "Lady  Horton*s  Walk**. 
This  is  an  automobile  road  that  zigzags  up  a  large  wooded  hill  in  a  park  con- 
sisting entirely  of  the  native  jungle.  Vistas  are  opened  up  in  the  jungle  at  vary- 
ing elevations  that  give  a  beautiful  view  of  the  mountains  that  surround  the  cup 
shaped  depression  in  which  Kandy  stands. 

We  then  went  to  the  "Temple  of  the  Tooth*'  where  you  are  told  that  there 
is  a  tooth  of  the  great  Buddha,  brought  there  from  India,  centuries  ago;  but  it  is 
hidden,  except  on  rare  occasions,  under  seven  concentric  bell  shaped  metal  caps 
richly  ornamented  with  jewels;  we  had  to  accept  it  on  faith.  The  tooth  is  said 
to  be  like  a  piece  of  discolored  ivory  two  inches  long  by  three  quarters  of  an  inch 
in  diameter,  more  like  a  crocodile's  tooth  than  a  man's.  Later  on  the  Portuguese 
got  hold  of  it  and  burned  it,  or  what  they  though  was  "it",  but  the  Buddhists 
deny  the  authenticity  of  the  destroyed  relic  and  assert  that  the  real  tooth  was 
hidden  and  is  the  one  now  at  Kandy.  This  is  held  in  the  greatest  veneration  and 
pilgrims  go  to  pray  before  it.  There  are  many  treasures  and  sacred  books  in 
the  temple,  the  latter  written  with  a  stylus  on  papyrus  made  of  the  leaf  of  the 
Talipot  palm.  A  shaven-headed  Buddhist  priest,  in  his  yellow  robe,  took  a  small 
dried  Talipot  palm  leaf  and  engraved  some  religious  sentiment  on  it  with  a  stylus 
in  Sanskrit  and  Singhalese.  Then  he  smeared  ink  over  it  and  when  rubbed  with 
a  cloth,  only  the  lettering  remained  black  as  in  the  sacred  writings.  Nellie  is 
going  to  preserve  this  in  her  album,  to  show  how  the  old  records  w^ere  made. 
The  moat  of  the  temple  is  alive  with  turtles,  fed  by  the  devotees,  and  I  expected 
terrapin  for  dinner  but  was  disappointed. 

After  dinner  Nellie  and  Jones  went  jewel  hunting  in  the  numerous  stores  of 


108 

the  gem  merchants  here,  and  as  the  result  of  protracted  negotiations,  extending 
up  to  the  very  minute  of  our  departure  next  morning,  Nellie  bought  a  number  of 
small  sapphires  and  rubies,  to  make  two  bracelets.  She  wanted  to  get  emeralds 
also  but  Ceylon  does  not  produce  emeralds. 

KANDY,  SATURDAY,  February  14,  1920. 
Started  before  eight,  amid  a  babel  of  voices  of  gem  merchants,  hot  on  our 
trail,  who  followed  us  on  the  run  but  whom  we  finally  shook  off,  "on  the  high". 
A  few  miles  out  on  the  road  to  Colombo  we  visited  the  Peradeniya  Royal  Botan- 
ical Gardens,  to  which  we  give  the  palm  as  the  most  interesting  of  the  many  wo 
have  seen.  We  were  fortunate  in  getting  hold  of  an  old  native  employee  as  guide* 
who  had  been  there  twenty-eight  years,  and  was  not  the  least  of  the  curiosities. 
The  clumps  of  giant  bamboos  were  the  biggest  we  have  seen.  There  is  a  great 
collection  of  palms,  among  them  the  Palmyrah  or  sugar  palm;  some  fine  speci- 
mens of  the  Ficus  elastica  or  native  rubber  tree,  with  its  enormous  buttressed 
roots  meandering  over  the  surface,  looking  like  a  lot  of  gigantic  crocodiles  lying 
on  the  ground  in  a  circle  with  their  heads  toward  the  trunk  of  the  tree.  The 
spice  collection,  including  nutmeg,  clove,  cinnamon,  allspice,  vanila,  cardamon, 
ginger,  etc.,  was  very  interesting  as  we  received  specimens  of  several  of  the 
products.  The  nutmeg  is  enclosed  in  a  large,  smooth  burr,  like  a  horse- 
chesnut,  and  around  the  nut  itself  is  a  red  film  or  skin  which,  when  dried  and 
powdered,  becomes  the  spice  called  mace.  The  Amherstia  nobilis  is  the  most 
beautiful  of  all  flowering  trees.  The  leaves  on  the  end  of  the  branches  are  of  a 
rose  red,  producing  a  gorgeous  effect.  Orchids,  "fly  catchers"  and  other  rare 
plants  are  shown  just  as  long  as  you  have  time  to  stay. 

While  in  the  gardens  w^e  saw^  a  unique  sight.  There  was  a  clump  of  large 
trees,  the  tops  of  w^hich  had  been  selected  by  the  flying  foxes  as  roosting  places. 
Like  other  bats,  of  course,  they  roost  during  the  day  and  fly  at  night.  They 
were  there  by  the  thousands,  hanging  downward  from  the  upper  branches,  to 
which  they  were  attached  by  their  claws,  and  looked  like  bunches  of  grapes, 
packed  thickly  together. 

We  blew  the  horn  of  our  automobile  and  the  tops  of  the  trees  seemed  to 
be  lifted  off,  as  the  vast  swarm,  disturbed  by  the  noise,  rose  in  the  air  and  circled 
around,  until  gradually  they  returned  to  their  roosts. 

The  journey  to  Colombo  was  much  the  same  as  the  beginning  of  our  trip, 
and  calls  for  no  additional  comment,  though  most  enjoyable.  We  arrived  at  one 
o'clock  and  went  directly  to  Cook's.  No  news  from  Bombay.  The  "City  of 
Lahore"  is  to  sail  Tuesday  at  twelve  o'clock.  We  will  put  off  the  great  decision 
until  Monday.      The  Colonial  Secretary  has  no  answer  from  Cairo. 

From  Cook's  to  the  hotel  just  in  time  to  get  into  lunch.  We  have  had  a 
splendid  trip  and  Jones  has  been  an  agreeable  addition  to  the  party.  If  we  had 
more  time  we  would  visit  the  Island  south  of  Colombo,  and  also  take  a  trip  to 
the  north  along  the  line  of  railroad  that  we  would  take  to  go  to  Madras  and 
Calcutta.  On  this  line  is  situated  Anuradhapura,  a  small  town  of  5,600  in- 
habitants, built  on  the  site  of  its  predecessor  of  the  same  name,  the  "buried  City 
of  Ceylon",  that,  two  thousand  years  ago,  covered  256  square  miles.  The  ruins 
are  said  to  be  very  interesting. 

However,  for  the  time  at  our  disposal  we  have  seen  a  good  deal  in  our  cir- 
cular trip  through  the  center  of  the  Island,  of  which  Murray's  guide  book  says; 
"No  excursion  could  show  more  of  the  characteristic  features  of  SINHALESE 
(this  is  the  way  Murray  spells  it  but  I  have  followed  the  phonetic  spelling) 
scenery  and  Sinhalese  life  than  this".      By  motoring  we  were  able  to  do  in  four 


109 

days  what  would  have  taken  eight  if  depending  on  railroad  timetables  and  con- 
nections. 

Incidentally,  the  Guide  book  says  of  the  Park  at  Kandy;  "Serpents  are 
numerous  here,  especially  the  cobra  and  carawilla.  The  large  black  scorpion, 
as  big  as  a  crayfish  is  also  found  here".      We  did  not  stroll  through  the  jungle^ 

Anuradhapura  is  only  one  of  the  many  "buried  cities  of  Ceylon"  that  show 
the  Island  supported  a  vast  population  two  thousand  years  ago.  I  cannot  find  in 
Murray's  any  estimate  of  the  number.  Another  evidence  is  the  countless  number 
of  "tanks"  scattered  all  over  the  Island,  in  the  jungle  as  well  as  in  the  cleared 
places  and  mostly  in  ruins.  These  tanks  are  reservoirs,  artificial  or  natural, 
from  very  small  stone  basins  to  large  lakes.  They  are  for  three  purposes, 
according  to  size  and  quality;  drinking  water,  bathing,  or  irrigation.  What  the 
present  government  is  doing  is  to  gradually,  but  very  slowly,  restore  what  existed 
ages  ago.  They  cannot  improve  on  that,  and  when  they  have  accomplished  it, 
this  land  will  be  rich  "beyond  the  dreams  of  avarice". 

OflF  the  west  coast  of  Ceylon  lie  the  Pearl  Fishery  banks,  at  a  depth  of  about 
forty  feet,  the  scene  of  the  last  Pearl  Fishery  in  1905,  when  fifty  million  oysters 
were  fished.  Since  then  they  have  been  allowed  to  recuperate  by  the  Govern- 
ment, as  they  were  being  exhausted.  I  have  been  told  that  swarms  of  natural 
enemies,  sharks,  etc.,  periodically  damage  the  oyster  beds  more  than  man. 

Coffee  was  the  principal  production  of  Ceylon  until  1870,  when  a  fungus 
destroyed  the  trees  except  at  high  altitudes,  where  a  very  little  is  still  produced. 
It  ruined  most  of  the  planters,  but  with  indomitable  energy  they  turned  to  tea 
culture,  which  has  again  made  the  community  prosperous.  Rubber  and  coconut 
culture  have  been  added  of  late  years. 

Among  the  people  there  is  just  now  a  good  deal  of  want  and  dissatisfaction 
owing  to  the  prohibitive  cost  of  rice,  which  is  largely  imported.  The  papers  are 
full  of  complaints  of  the  Government  of  India,  which  commandeered  the  Indian 
rice  crop  at  a  fair  price,  and  now,  for  export  to  Ceylon,  extorts  a  profit  of  50% 
to  100%.  By  the  way,  the  rice  is  harvested  here  also  by  hand,  with  sickles,  but 
the  whole  straw  is  cut  off  instead  of  the  heads  only  as  in  Japan,  Philippines 
and  Java. 

The  natives  are  darker  than  in  Java,  many  being  black  as  negroes,  but  with 
Aryan  features  instead  of  flat  Ethiopian.  The  brain  of  these  Eastern  races  is 
like  the  Caucasian  as  distinct  from  the  negro.  So  I  was  informed  by  the  curator 
of  the  Buitenzorg  museum. 

Jones  is  very  much  excited  by  the  arrival  of  an  English  theatrical  troupe  from 
Bombay,  with  one  of  the  members  of  which  he  is  more  or  less  in  love.  We  have 
been  introduced  to  her  and  w^hile  not  unattractive,  she  is  not  even  the  leading 
lady  of  the  troupe.  In  "Within  the  Law",  she  plays  the  part  of  the  thief.  For- 
tunately for  Jones,  he  would  not  marry  her  without  his  mother's  sanction,  and  he 
has  no  illusion  that  she  would  ever  give  her  consent.  She  is  a  very  straight-laced 
North  of  Ireland  Presbyterian,  who  has  never  been  to  the  theatre  in  her  life. 

We  rested  up  the  balance  of  the  afternoon  and  that  night  went  to  the  movies 
(very  poor)  with  Jones  and  his  inamorata,  who  though  she  has  been  married 
goes  under  the  stage  name  of  Miss  Olive  Stevens. 

COLOMBO,   SUNDAY,   February    15,    1920. 
Nothing  of  interest  to  record.      This  was  the  day  that  we  met  Mrs.  Captain 
Wisom. 


no 

COLOMBO.   MONDAY,   February    16,    1920. 

No  news  from  Bombay  and  no  answer  from  Cairo  yet.  We  have  secured 
cabin  No.  2  on  the  upper  deck  of  the  "City  of  Lahore",  which  came  in  last  night. 
It  is  one  of  the  best  on  the  ship,  which,  however,  is  not  a  first  class  passenger 
ship.  We  arranged  with  Cook's  not  to  pay  finally  for  our  tickets  until  tomorrow, 
in  case  we  should  hear  of  an  allotment  from  Bombay.  I  however  prepared  a 
cable  in  Cook's  code  to  send  home  to  announce  our  change  of  plans.  I  mislaid 
the  copy  but  it  was  something  like  this:  "Unable  get  steamer  accommodations 
Bombay  Have  abandoned  India  voyage  Sailing  by  SS  City  of  Lahore  seven- 
teenth for  Port  Said  Expect  reach  Naples  en  March  Address  mail  care  Credit 
Lyonnais      Cables  care  Cook's  Cairo      Both  well". 

It  is  a  great  disappointment  but  we  feel  it  is  a  wise  decision.  We  hear  such 
terrible  tales,  on  the  one  hand  about  the  congestion  to  get  to  Europe  from  now  on, 
and  on  the  other  hand  about  the  terrible  heat  in  India  and  the  Red  Sea  after 
March  15th,  that  I  don't  think  we  should  take  any  chances.  We  had  heard  before 
getting  here  that  sleeping  cars  in  India  were  very  comfortable,  but  every  one 
that  we  have  met  lately,  and  who  has  had  recent  experience,  says  that  they  are 
most  primitive,  dirty  and  uncomfortable. 

In  Bombay,  hotel  accommodations  are  so  scarce  that  Cook's  have  leased 
one  half  of  a  hospital  for  their  customers,  where  married  couples  are  separated 
into  men's  and  women's  wards.  I  mention  this  as  an  indication  of  conditions 
generally.  It  would  not  have  mattered  so  much  to  us,  as  we  need  only  to  have 
reached  Bombay  in  time  to  embark. 

On  returning  to  the  hotel  for  lunch,  we  found  there  to  our  great  astonish- 
ment, our  "old  friends"  of  many  steamers  and  many  hotels,  Mr.  and  Miss  Cutten, 
ashore  for  the  day  from  the  "Lahore",  in  which  they  are  proceeding  to  Boston. 
We  like  them  and  had  them  to  lunch.  They  started  right  after  this  with  another 
friend  by  motor  for  Kandy.  The  friend  went  because  he  could  not  get  into  any 
hotel  in  Colombo,  and  the  Cuttens  in  order  to  see  something  of  Ceylon  before  the 
steamer  sails  at  noon  tomorrow.  We  encouraged  them  in  this,  but  whereas  we, 
with  plenty  of  time,  had  a  memorably  delightful  trip,  they  raced  up  with  an 
incompetent  driver,  who  kept  them  in  fear  of  their  lives;  got  to  Kandy  late; 
saw  nothing  there;  raced  back  in  the  early  morning  next  day  to  be  sure  to 
catch  the  boat;  did  not  dare  to  stop  for  the  beautiful  botanical  gardens;  and 
got  back  to  Colombo  disgusted,  nervous  wrecks,  to  find  the  steamer  would  not 
sail  till   7:00  p.m.    (actually    10:00). 

I  discovered  on  coming  back  from  our  trip  that  my  camera  was  out  of  order 
and  my  last  two  reels  were  blanks.     I  had  it  fixed  in  Colombo. 

We  must  have  the  trunks  ready  by  7:30  a.  m.  tomorrow  so  we  packed  them 
this  afternoon  and  evening.  They  will  go  down  to  the  pier  and  there  wait  until 
9:30,  when  they  will  either  go  on  board  or  not,  according  to  Bombay  advices. 
I  learned  from  Cutten  that  the  "Lahore"  will  stop  at  Algiers  for  coal,  so  that 
makes  our  minds  perfectly  easy.  I  have  had  our  passports  vised  by  the  French 
Consul  and  we  will  get  off  there,  if  we  should  be  debarred  from  Egypt. 

COLOMBO,  TUESDAY,  February  17,  1920. 
We  were  down  at  Cook's  by  nine  o'clock  and  there  being  no  news  from  the 
Bombay  office,  I  paid  for  our  tickets  to  Port  Said,  350  rupees  each,  and  ordered 
the  baggage  on  board.  The  Colonial  Secretary  had  not  heard  from  Cairo,  so  he 
endorsed  our  passports  merely  for  landing  in  transit  to  Italy.  I  don't  imagine 
however  that  we  will  have  any  difficulty  in  getting  to  Cairo,  where  we  want  to 
stay  until  it  is  warm  enough  to  go  to  Southern  Italy  and  Sicily. 


in 

We  learned  that  the  steamer  does  not  sail  till  night,  which  disappoints  us 
as  we  have  given  up  our  room  at  the  hotel  and  it  is  doubtless  already  occupied. 
We  naturally  had  planned  nothing  for  today  and  so  will  have  to  sit  around  in  the 
hotel  corridor-verandah,  w^hich  fortunately  is  cool  and  pleasant.  I  forgot  to  say 
that  we  usually  took  our  after  dinner  coffee  on  a  grass  terrace  at  the  side  of  the 
hotel,  fronting  the  sea,  and  spent  a  delightfully  cool  hour,  bareheaded,  under  the 
atars.     We  w^ent  in  to  dinner  about  8:30. 

About  6:00  p.  m.  Miss  Stevens,  Mr.  Jones  and  ourselves  went  down  to  the 
pier,  where  Jones  had  his  Company's  launch  ready  to  take  us  on  board. 

We  found  our  cabin  one  of  the  five  best,  but  exceedingly  small.  Knowing 
that  there  were  extra  cabins,  we  had  asked  Cook's  to  secure  one  for  us,  but  he 
said  there  would  be  no  trouble  in  arranging  this  after  we  got  on  board.  I  applied 
immediately  but  found  that  they  had  been  given  the  day  before  to  other  pas- 
sengers that  were  doubled  up.     Score  another  black  mark  for  Cook's. 

We  are  packed  like  sardines,  but  really  get  along  very  well, — considering. 
1  take  my  bath  at  7:30  and  when  I  get  back,  Nellie  goes  while  I  dress.  Breakfast 
at  the  fixed  hour  of  nine  o'clock.  Lunch  one  and  dinner  seven  o'clock.  Meals 
not  so  bad  but  service  wretched.  As  usual,  w^e  have  drawn  the  worst  waiter,  not 
only  of  the  ship,  but  I  doubt  not  of  the  whole  line.  He  is  a  respectable  looking,  old, 
white  haired,  colored  gentleman,  who  belies  what  I  have  just  said  about  the  Elast 
Indian  brain.  Every  rule  has  its  exceptions.  His  thimbleful  is  completely 
saturated  by  the  last  order  he  has  heard,  to  the  displacement  of  anything  that  has 
gone  before — so  Nellie  and  I  have  to  take  turns  in  giving  orders  unless  we  make 
the  same  selection.  By  contrast,  w^e  have  an  excellent  cabin  boy,  an  Indian 
Portuguese  named  Fernandez.  They  dress  for  dinner,  so  I  am  utilizing  my  white 
dinner  coat  with  black  silk  belt  and  black  trousers. 

More  than  half  the  passengers  are  missionaries  returning  home  on  vaca- 
tions or  duty.  They  are  a  prolific  lot — no  fear  of  the  seed  dying  out,  and  as  the 
deck  room  is  limited,  the  children  make  a  fearful  racket  all  day  long.  It  is  not 
their  fault,  poor  things,  and  I  do  not  find  it  in  my  heart  to  complain.  It  is  the 
parents'  and  the  Captain's  fault.  They  are  generally  thin,  pale  and  delicate 
looking  children.  The  tropics  are  not  a  white  man's  country  and  once  the  white 
man  has  taught  the  brown  or  black  man,  the  latter  will  inevitably  drive  him  out. 

One  of  the  odd  features  of  Colombo  is  that,  outside  of  a  few  privately 
owned  horses,  there  are  no  public  horse-draw^n  vehicles.  Their  place  is  taken 
by  little  spring  carts  called  "hackeries",  drawn  by  little  trotting  bullocks. 

The  main  light  house  is  located  on  the  top  of  the  clock  tower  in  the  town, 
and  its  flash  is  seen  at  a  distance  of  eighteen  miles. 

The  small  sail  boats  all  have  outriggers  to  balance  them,  and  when  we  were 
having  tea  at  Mt.  Lavinia,  it  was  curious  at  sundown  to  see  the  fishing  boats  come 
in  under  full  sail,  slap  through  the  surf  onto  the  beach,  to  be  hauled  up  above 
high  tide  for  the  night,  and  unloaded. 

At  the  Temple  of  the  Tooth,  the  faithful  offer  in  large  quantities  to  the 
several  altars,  blossoms  of  the  Frangipani,  that  are  sold  for  that  purpose,  and  in 
some  rooms  the  scent  is  almost  oppressive. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 
The  Red  Sea^  Suez  Canal  and  Egypt 


115 

AT  SEA,  S.S.  CITY  OF  LAHORE,  WEDNESDAY,  February  18.  1920. 

We  do  not  expect  to  reach  Port  Said  until  Monday,  March  Ist,  and  with 
the  exception  of  a  stop  for  coal  at  Perim,  near  Aden,  at  the  south  end  of  the  Red 
Sea,  the  ship  will  not  stop  until  she  reaches  Suez  and  enters  the  Canal.  I  will 
therefore  not  follow^  the  strict  sequence  of  dates  until  then.  We  have  not  heard 
by  wireless  from  the  Colonial  Secretary  of  Ceylon  (25th)  and  so  will  not  know 
positively  if  we  can  stop  in  Egypt  until  we  get  there.  But  as  there  are  several 
other  passengers  who  are  going  there  confidently,  our  minds  are  quite  easy. 
When  we  get  to  Cairo,  we  may  cable  to  enquire  as  to  what  we  may  expect  about 
Sallie,  Marie  Louise  and  Adeline  meeting  us,  and  where  and  when.  Owing  to 
our  failure  to  reach  India,  we  could  advance  our  schedule  for  reaching  Europe 
somewhat,  and  we  are  planning  to  spend  the  greater  part  of  March  in  Egypt, 
partly  to  give  time  to  our  future  fellow^  travellers  to  meet  us  in  Southern  Italy 
if  so  minded.  Time  flies  quickly  and  passport  and  steamer  arrangements  take 
time,  particularly  from  San  Francisco.  We  hope  that  both  of  the  young  ladies 
will  come,  as  they  will  be  company  for  each  other,  in  an  otherwise  rather  elderly 
party. 

So  far  we  have  been  mostly  in  silver  using  countries,  where  the  exchange 
has  been  against  us,  particularly  in  China,  but  when  we  get  to  Europe  it  will  be 
the  other  way,  and  our  dollar  will  be  worth  in  France  and  Italy,  more  than  dou- 
ble the  pre-war  rate.  The  last  New  York  parity  that  I  heard  of  the  Pound 
Sterling  was   $3.22,   about  one-third  discount   from   the   normal. 

We   sit   opposite   the   CUTTENS   at   a   long  table,    and   at   our   end   are   also: 

MR.  HARRINGTON,  a  friend  of  Jones  in  the  tea  business  at  Calcutta. 

MR.  RIPLEY,  a  young  American  with  the  Standard  Oil  Company,  going 
home  on  a  six  month's  vacation.  He  has  confided  to  Nellie  that  he  will  bring 
back  a  wife  with  him.  He  has  not  yet  decided  upon  whom  to  confer  the  honor, 
but  as  to  the  fact,  his  mind  is  irrevocably  made  up.  He  considers  himself 
half  married,  having  already  got  his  own  consent. 

MR.  ASHWORTH,  an  Englishman,  travelling  to  sell  cotton  goods  at  a  salary 
of  $20,000  per  year.  He  has  covered  more  of  the  Earth's  surface  than  the 
Wandering  Jew.  He  retired  from  business  ten  years  ago  at  forty-one,  but  found 
that  he  was  not  so  happy  as  an  idler  and  got  into  harness  again.  He  is  bound 
(if  he  can  get  there)  for  Salonika,  Constantinople,  etc.  He  has  sold  $4,000,000 
of  goods  on  this  trip  so  far  (not  under  oath).  He  is  well  informed  and  tries  to 
make   himself   agreeable. 

EX-ADMIRAL  BORRESON,  of  the  Norwegian  Navy — retired  two  years  ago 
and  travelling  for  pleasure  (naturally  without  his  wife).  He  married  an  Amer- 
ican, and  does  not  know  if  she  will  meet  him  in  Boston  or  not.  He  is  interested 
in  a  company  making  nitrate  of  lime  for  fertilizer  by  hydro-electric  power  and 
has  made  a  great  deal  of  money.  The  pre-war  price  was  $40  per  ton  but  it  is  now 
treble  that.  Germany  is  offering  2000  marks  per  ton  but  at  present  exchange 
this  is  too  low.  Under  normal  circumstances,  the  business  cannot  stand  more 
than  $8.00  per  horse  power  per  year  for  power,  so  there  is  no  future  for  it 
except  in  Norway,  and  not  there  for  any  but  the  early  pioneers,  who  secured  the 
best  water  rights. 

At  the  other  end  of  the  table  sits  the  Captain,  who  really  gets  my  vote  as 
the  most  amiable  man  I  ever  sailed  with.  He  puts  himself  out  to  please  every- 
body and  make  them  comfortable  and  happy.  He  often  goes  down  and  sits 
with  the  children  at  their  dinner,  and  he  laid  in  a  dozen  and  a  half  large  bottles 
of  candy  that  he  dispenses  to  young  and  old.      If  he  hears  anyone  express  a  wish. 


116 

he  runs  like  an  errand  boy  to  gratify  it.  His  ship  was  torpedoed  and  sunk  twice 
in  the  Mediterranean,  both  times  with  a  large  passenger  list  but  without  losing  a 
passenger,  though  a  few  of  the  crew  perished.  The  second  time  he  was  carried 
down  with  the  wreck  (he  estimates  about  forty  feet)  but  his  rubber  air-cushion 
vest  brought  him  up,  safe  and  sound.  He  arrived  in  New  York  two  years  ago 
to  take  command  of  the  "City  of  Lahore"  the  day  after  she  was  sunk  at  her  dock 
in  New  York  harbor,  to  put  out  a  fire  that  had  started  in  her  inflammable  cargo, 
and  it  took  five  months  to  get  her  in  commission  again. 

With  such  a  mister  for  a  Captain  it  was  inevitable  that  tournaments  should 
be  gotten  up  of  those  incongruous  amusements  which  are  a  phenomenon  of  long 
sea  voyages  and  which  are  accepted  as  among  the  wonders  of  the  deep.  The 
sports  were  mostly  those  peculiar  to  ocean  life,  including  shuffle  board,  deck 
tennis,  deck  quoits,  bucket  quoits,  (in  which  I  participated  ingloriously),  putting 
the  eye  in  the  pig  (Nellie  made  an  attempt  lacking  in  accuracy,  both  as  to  lati- 
tude and  longitude),  thread  the  needle,  egg  races,  etc.,  etc.  There  w^as  also 
given  a  bridge  tournament  extending  over  three  evenings,  in  which  the  prizes  w^ere 
won  by  Admiral  Borreson  and  Mrs.  Quimby  of  New  York.  Her  husband  is  in 
the  hemp  business.      The  two  best  players,  one  of  each  sex,  were  unplaced. 

There  was  also  an  evening  of  music,  vocal  and  instrumental,  and  declama- 
tion, w^ith  positively  not  a  redeeming  number  in  it.  They  speak  in  the  Orient  of 
"rocking"  a  road  as  "metalling"  and  the  intentions  of  the  artists  must  have 
metalled  the  roads  in  the  dominion  of  Satan,  so  that  they  rival  the  highways  of 
California. 

We  have  started  a  little  bridge  contest  of  our  own  and  the  score  to  date 
(25th)   is,  in  points  (l/4c): 

Admiral  Miss  Cutten  Mr.  Cutten  Mrs.  O.  R.  O. 

_^2300  —4300  -[-400  4_2000       —400 

We  are  coaling  today  at  Perim  from  a  barge  alongside  and  a  procession  of 
black  ants  is  proceeding  steadily  from  the  barge  up  a  gang  plank  into  the  ship, 
with  loaded  baskets  on  their  backs,  and  returning  down  another  plank  with  empty 
baskets  to  be  filled  up  by  the  shovellers  at  the  bottom.  The  insects  on  the  planks 
and  the  insects  in  the  bottom  of  the  barge  never  cease  to  give  forth,  as  they  work, 
what  may  be  a  chant,  but  what  sounds  like  the  hoarse  barking  of  a  large  pack  of 
coyotes  in  the  distance.  The  moment  the  dismal  sounds  cease  you  may  be 
certain  they  have  stopped  work. 

There  is  a  very  interesting  missionary  on  board,  a  Canadian,  Miss  A.  Isabel 
Hatch,  of  Ramachandrapuram,  Godavari  district,  India.  She  is  at  the  head  of  a 
mission  for  lepers,  who  number  in  India  150,000  according  to  statistics,  which 
admittedly  do  not  include  more  than  fifty  percent  of  the  afflicted.  (It  is 
estimated  there  are  1,500,000  lepers  in  the  world).  Owing  to  local  sentiment 
it  is  impossible  to  segregate  them  by  law  and  so  the  contagion  spreads,  prac- 
tically unchecked.  She  has  about  a  hundred  under  her  care,  in  the  three  homes 
containing  leper  men,  leper  women  and  the  untainted  children  of  both.  The 
grounds  and  buildings  have  been  given  by  private  parties  for  whom  the  three 
homes  are  named.  The  maintenance  comes  partly  or  mostly  from  an  Associa- 
tion in  Dublin,  Ireland,  that  helps  all  leper  homes  in  need,  the  world  over.  The 
rest  is  contributed  largely  from  Canada  and  partly  locally.  She  cannot  begin 
to  take  all  who  apply,  for  lack  of  funds.  It  is  non-sectarian  though  frankly 
Christian  in  its  propaganda.  I  have  looked  with  great  interest  over  her  bound 
book  of  annual  reports,  and  it  is  refreshing  and  touching  to  note  how  pitifully 
small  is  the   expense   in  salaries  for  Management.      Her   own  position   is   entirely 


!I7 

honorary.  There  are  no  menial  servants,  the  able  bodied  lepers  working  for  the 
others.  The  wife  of  the  Doctor  (both  natives)  gratuitously  looks  after  the  un- 
tainted children,  with  the  help  of  one  matron. 

She  knows  of  no  cure  for  the  disease  but  in  less  advanced  cases  the  ulcers 
can  be  healed,  at  least  temporarily.  She  has  tried  two  or  three  alleged  cures, 
only  to  be  disappointed,  therefore  she  is  very  guarded  in  her  expression  of  opinion 
regarding  a  new  remedy,  Sodium  Morrhuate  and  Sodium  Hydnocarpate,  taken 
separately  or  together,  by  muscular  or  intra-venous  injection. 

However,  one  of  the  passengers,  Doctor  Cross,  theological  instructor  at 
Rochester,  N,  Y,  University,  (Baptist)  who  is  taking  his  sabbatical  year  by  mak- 
ing a  trip  of  inspection  through  the  Orient,  says  that  local  physicians  are  ex- 
tremely optimistic  regarding  this  new  cure. 

I  asked  Miss  Hatch  if  the  Indian  Government  helped  her  and  she  answered 
that  she  could  probably  get  a  grant,  at  the  sacrifice  of  some  of  her  independence 
of  control,  but  she  preferred  to  go  it  alone  as  a  strictly  private  institution.  She 
evidently  has  executive  capacity  and  firmness  and  she  enforces  strict  discipline. 
We  are   going  to   give  her  a   contribution. 

(Given  to  Harry  Cutten,  to  be  mailed  from  Boston  about  March  20th). 

R.  O. 

Posted  at  Guelph,   Ontario,   March  29,    1920. 
Received  at  San  Francisco,   April  5,    1920. 

S.S.  "CITY  OF  LAHORE-,  IN  THE  RED  SEA, 
SATURDAY,    February   28,    1920. 

This  ship  logs  about  300  miles  per  day  in  good  w^eather,  and  w^ill  take  twelve 
days  to  cross  the  Atlantic. 

We  are  having  wonderful  weather  for  the  Red  Sea,  as  it  is  even  cooler  than 
before  we  got  into  it.  There  is  a  fresh  breeze  that  makes  it  comfortable  to  sit 
on  the  lee  side.  We  have  to  go  into  the  smoking  room  to  play  bridge,  instead 
of  on  the  deck  as  before.  We  continued  to  have  good  luck,  and  to  anticipate  a 
little,  the  final  settlement  for  the  whole  trip  showed  me  2800  points  ahead  and 
Nellie  6300  points,  at  1/4  cent  per  point.  The  principal  loser  was  Miss  Cutten, 
with  4200  points. 

Here  are  some  figures  regarding  wages  in  India,  according  to  the  Census 
of    1911: 

Unskilled   agriculturists   4c   to  8c  per   day 

Unskilled    city   workers   5c   to  10c  per   day 

Masons      12c   to  16c  per    day 

Carpenters,  up  to   32c  per    day 

1913-Average    of    eight    industries    17c  per   day 

Sunday  night  the  29th  at  7:00  p.m.  we  cast  anchor  in  the  Bay  of  Suez. 
The  wind  had  increased  making  it  rather  rough  for  little  boats,  so  that  the  doctor 
did  not  board  us  that  night  nor  until  noon  the  next  day  (March  1st).  Vessels 
generally  go  through  the  canal  in  convoys  to  facilitate  and  save  time  at  passing 
points,  and  it  was  not  until  mid-afternoon  that  we  entered  the  Canal.  One 
cause  of  delay  was  a  steamer  of  the  Blue  Funnel  line,  that  had  run  aground  in 
such  a  way  as  to  obstruct  the  channel  and  had  to  be  towed  into  position  so  that 
we  could  pass  her.  Large  ships  never  pass  each  other  except  at  certain  widened 
and  prepared  stations.  The  Canal  itself  seems  w^ide  enough  to  permit  this,  but 
the  deep  buoyed  channel  does  not.  The  Blue  Funnel  boat  damaged  her  propeller 
and  will  have  to  be  towed  to  Port  Said  for  repairs. 


118 

The  tonnage  dues  of  our  ship  to  pass  through  were    1,600  Pounds  Sterling. 

There  was  a  good  deal  of  fighting  between  the  English  and  Turks  along 
the  line  of  the  Canal  and  we  could  see  trenches  and  barbed  wire  as  an  evidence. 
The  Turks  got  over  in  small  parties  several  times  and  they  shelled  the  shipping 
from  some  hills  to  the  East. 

At  the  entrance  was  the  sunken  wreck  of  an  Italian  destroyer,  blown  up  by 
some  Bolsheviki  members  of  her  own  crew.      An  Italian  vessel  was  salvaging  her. 

The  Bay  of  Suez  is  quite  pretty,  and  the  City  is  not  seen  well  from  it.  The 
town  at  the  entrance  of  the  Canal  is  called  Tewfik. 

It  was  very  interesting  steaming  slowly  (six  miles  per  hour)  along  the 
Canal  through  the  desert.  As  it  grew  dark  a  powerful  searchlight  in  the  bow 
of  the  ship  made  the  water  look  sapphire  blue  and  the  sand  bank  on  each  side 
white,  a  very  pretty  effect. 

The  length  of  the  Canal  from  Suez  to  Port  Said  is  88  miles,  exclusive  of  the 
bitter  lakes,  and  we  anchored  there  in  the  early  morning  but  did  not  land  until 
after  breakfast,  about  nine  o'clock.  (March  2nd).  The  police  held  up  our 
passports  for  half  to  three-quarters  of  an  hour  but  finally  gave  them  to  us  with- 
out explanation.  We  went  to  Cook's  to  change  some  money  and  wandered 
around  the  town,  which  presents  no  features  of  attraction  for  a  tourist.  Ap- 
parently a  large  proportion  of  the  adult  male  population  sits  on  the  sidewalk 
or  in  the  street,  at  a  little  table  with  a  money  changer's  sign  in  front.  Where 
the  customers  come  from  for  such  a  multitude  passes  my  understanding.  I  have 
often  made  the  same  reflection  regarding  the  number  of  spiders'  webs  to  the 
supply  of  flies.     The  fate  of  the  victims  is  approximately  the  same  in  either  case. 

We  visited  a  mosque  of  no  interest  in  company  with  the  Cuttens  and 
parted  from  these  friends  at  the  station,  when  we  took  the  train  for  Cairo  at 
12:30.  I  gave  Mr.  Cutten  the  previous  installment  of  the  diary  to  post  in  Boston 
on  arrival,  as  being  probably  the  quickets  service.  They  expect  to  land  about 
March  2  Ist. 

The  compartments  are  largely  occupied  by  English  officers,  w^ho  are  much 
in  evidence  in  Egypt.  They  minimize  any  danger  of  trouble  and  w^ere  going  to 
play  polo  or  golf,  or  otherw^ise  bent  on  peaceful  pursuits.  Contrary  to  our  ex- 
pectation, there  seems  to  be  plenty  of  civilian  travellers  in  Egypt  and  Shepheard's 
Hotel,  w^here  w^e  arrived  at  5:30,  was  crowded.  The  room  we  had  telegraphed 
for  was  too  small  for  our  baggage  and  it  was  just  a  chance  that  we  got  two  single 
rooms  with   connecting  bath,    for   3    pounds  Egyptian,   European   plan    ($11.00). 

After  settling  ourselves  we  w^ent  to  the  Grill  Room  and  ordered  Welsh  Rare- 
bits, w^hich  were  the  poorest  w^e  ever  tasted  and  we  will  try  the  restaurant  in 
future,  which  is  said  to  be  very  good.  By  the  way  the  Welsh  Rarebits  on  the 
**City  of  Lahore"  w^ere  so  good  that  I  got  the  recipe  and  as  it  is  different  from 
any  I  have  ever  seen,  I  copy  it  here  for  any  one  that  wishes  to  try  it: 

INGREDIENTS:     Mashed  cheese,  butter,  mustard  and  red  pepper. 

METHOD:  Two  stewpans  are  used.  In  the  first,  place  the  cheese,  well  mashed, 
adding  the  other  ingredients  in  quantities  according  to  strength  required. 
The  second  pan  should  be  one-third  full  of  boiling  w^ater.  Into  this  place  the 
other,  allowing  to  remain  for  one  hour  at  least,  and  longer  if  necessary, 
until  a  cream  like  finish  is  had. 

(The    advantage    of    this    method    is    that    the    cheese     does    not     get 
stringy.      R.  O.). 
There   came   to    Cairo   with   us   from    the   ship   a    Mr.    Ross,    member   of   the 


119 

Canadian  Senate,  and  his  daughter  Barbara  (19)  and  his  widowed  sister  Mrs. 
Flagg.  Barbara  had  reminded  us  somew^hat  of  Marie  Louise,  more  in  manner 
than  in  face,  and  Mrs.  Flagg  lived  for  many  years  in  Southern  California, — Los 
Angeles  and  San  Diego.  Nellie  has  taken  quite  a  fancy  to  Barbara.  She  accom- 
panied us  on  a  trip  to  the  tombs  and  pyramids  at  Memphis  on  the  5th.  We  went 
by  train  part  of  the  way  and  then  took  camels.  Mr.  Ross  had  arranged  the 
excursion,  although  he  and  his  sister  backed  out,  and  we  trailed  along  without 
much  enquiry  as  to  the  relative  length  of  train  and  camel  conveyance.  When 
we  had  swallowed  bait,  hook  and  sinker,  and  were  well  on  our  way,  we  found 
that  we  had  ten  miles  by  camel  to  Memphis,  and  then  ten  miles  more  across  the 
desert  to  the  big  Gizeh  pyramids  and  sphinx,  whence  we  could  come  back  to 
Cairo  by  train  or  taxi.  It  w^ould  have  been  about  as  bad  to  turn  back  and  yet 
it  was  manifestly  impossible  for  Nellie  to  stand  such  a  trip.  Fortunately  we  got 
a  sand  cart,  a  kind  of  chaise  with  very  wide  wheels  and  one  horse,  and  Nellie 
made  half  the  journey  in  this.  I  drove  in  it  a  couple  of  miles  and  then  gave  my 
seat  to  Miss  Ross  and  rode  a  donkey,  which  was  comparatively  much  easier  than 
the  camel. 

CAIRO,  EGYPT,  WEDNESDAY,  March  3.   1920. 

We  went  to  Cook's  this  morning  to  see  about  getting  across  to  Italy.  The 
choice  of  good  boats  is  rather  limited  and  is  between  a  steamer  to  Brindisi  on 
the  18th  and  one  to  Syracuse,  Sicily,  (near  Taormina)  on  the  14th.  We  would 
have  liked  something  later  but  there  is  nothing  else  in  March.  So  we  decided 
to  sail  from  Alexandria  on  the  14th  for  Syracuse  by  the  S.  S.  "Sicilia**,  a  very 
good  boat.  We  will  reach  Syracuse  early  on  the  1  8th  and  then  in  three  or  four 
hours,  Taormina.  We  have  not  decided  how  long  we  will  stay  in  Sicily  before 
proceeding   to    Naples. 

I  accordingly  made  up  a  code  cable  addressed  to  Cook's,  San  Francisco,  as 
usual,   as  follows: 

**A  B  C   Code.      No  advices  to  hand  since  December    1 6th. 

"Will  leave  in  about  ten  days  for  Sicily.      Sallie,  Louisa,  Adeline. 

"When  will  you  meet  us.      Cable." 

We  hope  to  get  some  answer  before  leaving  but  will  have  it  relayed  if, 
owing  to  cable  delays,  we  leave  before  it  comes.  When  we  know  about  what 
time  to  expect  you,  we  will  let  you  know  where  we  expect  to  be. 

We  find  a  change  in  Cairo  as  regards  the  native  life  on  the  streets.  On  our 
last  visit,  froni  the  verandah  of  Shepheard's  we  could  see  frequently  native 
processions;  weddings,  funerals  and  pilgrims  returning  from  Mecca,  escorted  by 
admiring  relatives  and  friends.  Little  or  nothing  of  that  kind  seems  to  be  going 
on  now.  Except  for  the  strange  races  and  costumes  it  might  be  a  street  in  any 
other  city.  One  national  characteristic  however  remains  as  prominent  as  ever 
and  that  is  the  incessant  demand  for  backsheesh,  from  everyone  that  thinks  he 
has  established  the  merest  shadow  of  a  claim  upon  you  for  services  rendered, 
even  when  entirely  unsought,  "He  also  serves  who  only  stands  and  w^aits" — is 
a  principle  thoroughly  ingrained  in  the  Arab  mind. 

CAIRO.  THURSDAY,  March  4,    1920. 

Started  at  9:00  a.  m.  by  motor  for  the  Pyramids  and  Sphinx;  we  in  one 
car  with  our  dragoman  and  the  Ross  party  in  another  with  theirs.  At  the  Mena 
house  w^e  took  camels  and  went  through  the  usual  tour  of  inspection,  including 
photographing  on  camels,  of  which  the  results  will  reach  you  in  due  time.      We 


120 

got  back  in  good  time  for  lunch,  having  decided  that  we  would  get  a  better  one 
at  Shepheard's  than  at  the  Mena  house. 

In  the  afternoon  we  took  a  carriage  and  went  to  the  Citadel  and  to  various 
mosques.  On  the  way  back  we  went  through  the  bazaars  without  seeing  any- 
thing nearly  as  interesting  as  the  shops  in  front  of  Shepheard's.  I  have  to  con- 
fess that  this  visit  to  Cairo  reminds  me  of  a  twice  told  tale.  It  does  not  hold  the 
interest  as  it  did  eleven  years  ago.  Whether  the  difference  is  in  me  or  in  Cairo, 
the  result  is  the  same. 

CAIRO,  FRIDAY,  March  5,   1920. 

Last  night  there  was  a  grand  fancy  dress  and  masked  ball  in  the  Opera 
House,  for  the  benefit  of  the  "Lady  Cromer  dispensaries  for  native  children". 
'General  Allenby  and  the  Crown  Prince  of  Roumania  attended  and,  earlier  in  the 
day,  they  both  came  into  Shepheard's  where  we  were  sitting,  for  a  formal 
Juncheon.  Nellie  says  General  Allenby  is  a  superb  specimen  of  the  English 
army  officer.  I  missed  him  but  we  both  saw  the  Crown  Prince,  who  is  also  a 
fine  physical  specimen,  blond  and  with  rather  weak  chin.  There  were  any  num- 
ber of  men  and  women  in  fancy  dress  at  dinner  time,  in  preparation  for  the 
ball,  and  it  livened  up  the  lobby  wonderfully. 

This  was  the  day  of  our  excursion  to  Memphis  already  described.  It 
knocked  out  little  Miss  Ross,  but  strange  to  say  neither  Nellie  nor  I  felt  used  up. 
In  my  case  it  was  perhaps  due  to  my  having  massage  when  I  got  home.  I  have 
hooked  on  here  to  the  first  masseur  of  my  trip  that  is  not  a  Japanese.  He  is  an 
Italian  and  considers  himself  "something  extra".  On  the  strength  of  this  rating 
he  charges  1  £-E  (about  $4.00)  per  treatment,  but  kindly  offers  to  send  one  of 
his  pupils,  if  I  desire,  for  $2.00.  He  worked  for,  or  rather  "worked"  the  late 
Sultan,  and  is  busy  from  5:00  a.  m.  to  8:00  p.  m.  He  says  all  I  need  is  massage 
and  room  exercises  and  guarantees  to  cure  me  if  I  stay  here  three  months.  He 
studied  massage  eight  years  in  Germany.  He  has  given  me  the  address  in 
Naples  of  the  "greatest  nerve  specialist  in  the  world".  He  (the  masseur)  is 
going  to  retire  next  year  and  cultivate  a  farm  that  he  owns  near  Florence,  his 
birthplace,  at  Fiesole. 

CAIRO,  SATURDAY,  March  6,  1920. 
We  are  taking  it  very  easily  today  as  we  find  the  camel  trip  took  more 
out  of  us  than  we  at  first  thought,  and  we  are  going  to  Luxor  by  tonight's  train, 
which  means  an  uncomfortable  night  in  the  small  European  Wagonlits  compart- 
ment. The  Ross  party  is  going  also.  They  are  coming  back  Tuesday  night,  but 
we  cannot  get  a  sleeper  reservation  before  Wednesday  night. 

LUXOR,  SUNDAY,  March  7,  1920. 
We  started  yesterday  at  8:00  p.  m.  The  diner  was  not  bad  but  the  dis- 
■comfort  was  quite  as  bad  as  we  had  expected,  though  nothing  like  as  bad  as 
our  experience  of  the  Korean  and  Chinese  sleepers.  These  latter  will  always 
stand  out  as  the  very  nightmare  of  railroad  travel.  We  arrived  at  Luxor  about 
9:00  a.m. — 13  hours  for  454  miles,  or  35  miles  an  hour,  which  is  just  about 
the  same  rate  as  the  "Lark"  to  Los  Angeles.  The  roadbed  is  also  very  fair,  so 
that  it  is  the  confinement  of  the  very  small  compartment  that  is  disagreeable. 

Before  reaching  Luxor  in  the  morning,  one  sees  something  of  the  mag- 
Tiificient  crops  that  are  produced  by  irrigation  along  the  Nile  bottom.  The  com- 
bination of  water  loaded  with  a  fertilizing  silt  and  of  abundant  labor,  gives  fields 
of  alfalfa,  grain  and  sugar  cane  that  are  a  pleasure  to  see,  although  the  cane  is 
of  small  barrel  and  does   not  average  over  thirty  tons  per  acre.      This  is  more 


121 

than  Cuba  or  the  Philippines,  but  less  than  Java  or  Hawaii.  Heretofore  cotton 
has  been  considered  more  a  crop  of  lower  than  upper  Egypt,  but  present  high 
prices  are  spreading  it  everywhere.  So  much  so  that  it  is  threatening  the  food 
supply  of  the  country  and  the  Government  has  passed  stringent  laws  against 
plowing  out  food  crops  to  plant  cotton.  The  large  returns  from  cotton  have  sent 
purely  agricultural  land  soaring  up  to  prices  that  I  never  heard  of  before,  and 
which  do  not  give  any  adequate  return  on  the  investment.  This  is  because  the 
natives,  when  they  sell  their  cotton,  find  themselves  with  large  amounts  of  paper 
money  in  w^hich  they  have  no  confidence,  so  they  hasten  to  buy  land  at  w^hat- 
ever  price  they  have  to  pay,  never  figuring  on  the  percentage  of  return.  I  was 
reliably  informed  of  500  Egyptian  pounds  (about  $2000.00)  being  paid  for 
cotton  lands  currently,  and  in  instances  higher,  up  to  a  certain  transaction  at 
1000  Pounds  ($4000.00)  per  acre  for  land  far  from  any  city — purely  agri- 
cultural. Of  course  such  land  has  an  ample  water  supply.  The  Government 
land  tax,  which  includes  right  to  water,  is  graded  according  to  the  quality  but 
averages  about  £    1    per  acre. 

We  got  a  very  good  room  and  bath  at  the  Winter  Palace  Hotel,  fronting 
on  the  Nile.  As  w^e  have  only  suit  cases  w^ith  us  it  is  quite  large  enough.  The 
view  is  magnificient,  especially  in  the  morning  and  after  sunset. 

On  our  previous  trip  we  saw  Thebes,  the  tombs  of  the  Kings  and  of  the 
Queens,  and  the  other  sights  across  on  the  w^est  side  of  the  river.  It  is  a  hard 
desert  trip,  somewhat  like  the  one  we  have  just  taken  to  Memphis  and  so  we 
are  not  going  to  repeat  it.  We  are  satisfied  w^ith  Karnak  and  Luxor  (the  latter 
w^ithin  walking  distance  of  the  Hotel),  which  we  visited  on: 

MONDAY,  March  8,    1920. 
accompanied  by  Miss  Ross. 

Luxor  temple  is  the  one,  of  all  I  have  visited  in  Egypt,  that  is  most  ini- 
pressive  to  my  mind.  Its  ruins  have  been  restored  quite  extensively,  so  that 
a  good  idea  can  be  formed  of  how  it  must  have  looked.  The  part  excavated  is 
quite  considerably  more  extensive  than  when  we  were  here  before,  although  all 
w^ork  of  this  kind  ceased  with  the  w^ar. 

The  Hotel  is  fairly  crowded,  but  a  considerable  number  are  military  men, 
as  the  regular  tourists  are  just  commencing  to  come  again  to  Egypt;  greatly  to 
the  delight  of  the  hotel  men,  and  of  all  the  army  of  dragomans  and  hangers  on 
that  depend  upon  them,  to  escape  the  hated  alternative  of  doing  an  honest  day's 
work. 

From  the  limited  opportunity  that  we  have  had  of  getting  at  the  feeling  of 
the  natives  toward  British  rule,  we  have  learned  that  there  is  the  most  intense 
antagonism  toward  it,  and  the  greatest  hatred  of  the  English.  It  is  the  old  story 
that  people  prefer  to  govern  themselves  badly  rather  than  to  be  well  governed 
by  foreigners.  When  the  English  took  hold,  the  Egyptian  Fellah,  or  agricultural 
laborer,  was  little  better  than  a  slave.  Today  he  is  highly  prosperous  and  the 
equal  of  anybody  before  the  law,  except  perhaps  where  the  English  have  pre- 
served some  native  institutions,  administered  by  natives.  But  that  seems  to 
make  no  difference  in  his  feelings  and  only  the  fear  of  British  troops  prevents 
serious  outbreaks,  and  not  even  that  at  times.  The  native  press  is  universally 
hostile. 

LUXOR,   TUESDAY,   March  9,    1920. 

With  the  Ross  party  we  took  a  motor  launch  this  morning  and  went  up  the 
river  a  few  miles  to  the  sugar  factory  at  Armant.  It  is  one  of  the  old  Daira 
Sanieh  factories  that  belonged  to  the  Khedive,  and  w^ere  later  amalgamated  w^ith 


122 

the  French  factories  of  the  Company  for  which  Mahoudeau  worked.  There  are 
no  factories  now  outside  of  that  Company  except  small  native  bull  mills.  It  also 
owns  the  only  Egyptian  refinery  near  Cairo,  that  refines  thirty  thousand  tons 
per  annum.  As  Mahoudeau  had  told  us  years  ago,  but  now  in  much  more 
intensified  form,  the  competition  of  cotton  has  throttled  the  sugar  industry, 
and  Egypt,  which  a  generation  ago  produced  over  one  hundred  thousand  tons 
of  sugar,  now  produces  only  sixty  thousand,  or  barely  enough  for  her  own 
consumption. 

I  had  a  letter  from  the  Manager  of  the  hotel  for  the  Superintendent,  but 
when  he  learned  that  I  was  in  the  sugar  business,  he  told  me  that  in  the  absence 
of  the  General  Manager,  who  was  on  the  train  on  his  way  back  from  Assuan,  he 
could  not  show  me  his  factory.  He  was  very  polite  and  telegraphed  for 
authority,  asking  me  to  w^ait  for  the  answer,  which  of  course  1  could  not  do. 
So  w^e  came  back  to  Luxor,  visiting  on  the  way  an  orange  and  lemon  orchard. 
This  was  in  miserable  condition  as  to  cultivation  and  pruning,  but  the  fruit, 
though  small,  tasted  very  good.  We  enjoyed  the  river  trip  very  much,  and 
took  photographs  of  the  "shadufs"  by  which  the  Nile  water  is  lifted  by  hand  to  the 
little  channels  on  top  of  the  bank,  which  carry  it  off  to  water  the  fields. 

The  shaduf  has  been  used  from  the  earliest  times;  pictures  of  it  may  be 
seen  in  the  tombs.  It's  a  kind  of  see-saw  palm  beam,  with  a  large  lump  of  dried 
Nile  mud  as  counter  weight  at  one  end,  and  a  rod  with  an  earthen  pot  or  bucket 
attached  at  the  other;  is  worked  by  one  man,  who  can  lift  water  eight  feet  by 
means  of  it.  According  to  the  height  of  the  bank  and  the  stage  of  the  river, 
three,  four  or  even  five  shadufs  may  be  seen,  one  above  the  other,  lifting  the 
water  from  level  to  level. 

In  some  places  water  wheels  dragged  round  and  round  by  oxen,  buffaloes, 
donkeys  or  camels  may  also  be  seen.  Also  for  short  lifting  from  canals,  archi- 
medean  screws  turned  by  hand  are  used  to  force  water  up  spirally. 

When  we  got  back  to  the  hotel  I  received  a  telegram  from  the  sugar  factory 
that  permission  had  been  granted  to  visit  it.  The  Rosses  returned  to  Cairo  this 
afternoon. 

LUXOR,  WEDNESDAY,  March  10,  1920. 
We  did  nothing  today  but  sit  on  our  verandah  and  enjoy  the  view,  or  read 
in  the  shade  in  the  beautiful  garden  of  the  hotel.  I  am  reading  Locke's  "The 
Rough  Road",  which  I  enjoy  as  I  do  almost  all  of  his  books.  At  6:10  p.  m.  we 
took  the  train  for  Cairo;  as  there  is  no  diner  on  Wednesday  we  took  a  basket 
lunch  from  the  hotel.  Our  compartment  seemed  even  more  cramped  and  un- 
comfortable, but  we  managed  to  sleep  pretty  well,  arriving  at: 

CAIRO,  March  II,   1920  (THURSDAY),  AT  7  A.M. 

We  were  met  by  the  hotel  porter  and  had  our  same  rooms  and  bath,  of 
which  we  had  kept  one  to  store  our  baggage  without  repacking. 

The  S.  S.  "Silicia"  will  not  sail  until  the  1  7th,  and  we  regret  not  having 
known  it  before  as  we  might  have  spent  a  day  or  two  longer  at  beautiful  Luxor. 
The  only  advantage  is  that  I  get  more  massage,  which  I  am  taking  daily  and 
the  fingers  of  my  left  hand  are  limbering  up  again. 

I  found  two  letters  at  Cook's;  one  from  Herrod,  dated  January  13th,  with 
interesting  factory  news,  for  which  I  am  thankful.  The  other  letter  was  from 
Cook's,    Colombo,    dated    February    1 8th    and    repeating    a    telegram    from    their 

Bombay    office    reading:      "Mr.    and    Mrs.     Oxnard regret    no    accommodations 

available".      Accordingly,  we  are  glad  that  we  decided  to  come  here  direct  from 


123 

Colombo  but  I  have  no  words  to  express  my  disgust  of  Cook's  inefficiency.  We 
cabled  Bombay  last  July  for  the  accommodation,  with  this  as  a  result.  I  want 
the  office  to  express  my  displeasure  to  Mr.  Stokes  in  the  strongest  terms. 

As  there  were  no  family  letters,  I  assume  that  the  family  must  have  written 
to  Credit  Lyonnais  and  I  have  cabled  them  to  forward  mail  to  us  at  Taormina 
and  afterwards  to  Naples.  We  are  still  without  any  answer  to  our  cable  about 
time  of  meeting  us  in  Europe,  but  hope  it  w^ill  come  before  w^e  sail. 

CAIRO,  FRIDAY  AND  SATURDAY,  March   12  and   13,    1920. 

Nothin  of  much  interest  to  report.  I  am  going  to  send  this  by 
steamer  leaving  tomorrow  (15th).  We  are  also  mailing  by  the  same,  to  family 
and  friends,  some  postal  cards  of  Nellie  and  myself  on  camels,  in  front  of  the 
Sphynx  and  the  pyramids.  There  is  nothing  to  make  one  feel  young  by  contrast 
like  standing  in  front  of  the  pyramids,  built  five  thousand  years  ago. 

On  Sunday  I  went  with  Mr.  Ross  and  his  sister  to  the  great  "barrage"  or 
dams  that  have  been  built  just  north  of  the  city,  to  facilitate  the  irrigation  of  the 
Delta  region.  It  is  not  as  impressive  a  w^ork  as  the  great  Assuan  dam  in  Upper 
Egypt  that  we  saw  on  our  last  visit,  and  Nellie,  who  did  not  feel  like  going,  did 
not  miss  much. 

There  was  as  much,  or  more,  red  tape  to  get  our  passports  vised  to  get  out 
of  Egypt,  as  to  get  in,  and  it  took  me  the  better  part  of  two  forenoons  to  accom- 
plish it. 

Mailed  Sunday,  March    14,    1920,  from  Cairo. 
Received  April    14,    1920,  at  San  Francisco. 

CAIRO,  MONDAY.  March  15,   1920. 

Last  Friday  night  we  went  to  the  movies  with  the  Rosses  to  see  Mabel 
Norman  in  Mickey.  It  rivals  in  silliness  and  improbability  the  one  we  saw  at 
Sabang  in  Sumatra. 

On  Saturday  we  went  (Mr.  Ross,  Barbara  and  I  )to  the  races  at  Gezereh 
race  course.  There  were  races  both  for  English  and  Egyptian  thoroughbreds, 
including  a  hurdle  race  at  1  ^  miles  for  horses  owned  and  ridden  by  English 
officers.  The  Sultan  had  an  entry  in  most  of  the  races  and  General  Allenby 
was  present.  The  weights  on  the  Egyptian  ponies  were  very  high,  up  to  161 
pounds  in  one  case,  and  most  races  were  at  a  mile  or  over.  The  attendance 
was  good. 

Financial  results — negative. 

On  Sunday  we  took  a  drive  around  town  and  Mr.  Ross  and  myself  stopped 
at  the  Zoological  gardens,  which  were  about  an  average. 

On  Monday  we  went  again  to  the  bazaars  to  get  myself  a  pair  of  slippers 
but  I  did  not  find  what  I  wanted.  However,  Nellie  got  one  of  those  cylindrical 
gold  or  gilt  ornaments  that  the  Egyptian  women  wear  hanging  down  from  the 
forehead  over  the  nose,  in  connection  with  a  black  (occasionally  white)  veil 
over  the  lower  part  of  the  face.  This  with  a  black  scarf  over  the  head  and  a 
long,  loose,  sleeved  garment  of  black  or  very  dark  blue  is  the  universal  costume. 
The  Turkish,  Armenian  and  other  women  omit  the  gold  ornament.  The  men 
wear  very  full  w^hite  cotton  breeches  and  a  dark  cotton  blouse  somewhat  like 
the  women's.  Many  are  barefooted  but  most  have  red  or  yellow  leather  slippers, 
without  heels.      Also  a  brown  felt  skull  cap  or  a  red  fez. 

The  prevailing  religion  is  Mahomedan. 

An   invariable   characteristic   of   the   Oriental   races,    from  Japan   onward,    is 


124 

their  utter  disregard  for  time.  They  care  nothing  about  wasting  their  own  time 
or  yours.  You  simply  have  to  put  up  with  this  with  the  best  grace  you  can 
muster,  for  it  you  allow  it  to  chafe  you  it  w^ill  simply  spoil  your  trip.  In  this 
respect  the  following  rhyme  is  very  true  to  nature: 

"Now    it    is    not    good    for    the    Christian's    health, 

To   hustle  the  Aryan  brown; 
For  the  Christian  riles,  and  the  Aryan  smiles, 

And  he  weareth  the  Christian  down. 
And  the  end  of  the  fight  is  a  tombstone  white 

And  the  name  of  the  late  deceased; 
And   an   epitaph   drear,    "A   fool   lies   here, 

Who   tried   to    hustle   the  East." 

Incidentally,  they,  as  a  class,  are  as  sparing  of  the  truth  as  they  are  prodigal 
of  time.  A  member  of  the  House  of  Commons,  in  the  course  of  debate,  accused 
his  opponent  of  relying  on  his  memory  for  his  wit  and  his  imagination  for  his 
facts.      The  latter  part  of  this  criticism  certainly  applies  to  the  Orientals. 

Eleven  years  ago  and  again  this  time,  we  found  at  the  head  of  the  bill-of-fare 
of  Shepheard's  a  w^ell  known  latin  quotation,  w^hich  w^hen  freely  translated 
reads:  "Who  has  drunk  the  water  of  the  Nile,  will  return  to  drink  again".  I 
remember  that  on  our  previous  visit  we  scouted  the  truth  of  this  in  our  case, 
but  here  we  are  to  prove  the  truth  of  the  adage. 

CAIRO,   TUESDAY,   March    16,    1920. 

Started  at  noon  for  Alexandria,  taking  lunch  on  the  train,  and  arriving 
about  3:30.  The  room  reserved  for  us  at  the  Majestic  was  in  the  annex,  on  the 
third  floor,  and  as  the  lift  was  out  of  order  we  preferred  an  inferior  room  in  the 
main  building.  It  was  on  the  fifth  floor  and  there  was  no  bell  to  call  the  elevator 
as  guests  are  expected  to  walk  down.  We  had  to  telephone  down  to  the  office 
when  we  wanted  the  elevator  sent  up. 

The  railroad  fares  in  Egypt  are  high.  A  first  class  ticket  to  Luxor  (454 
miles)  and  return,  $40.00 — (with  the  saving  in  exchange  $32.00).  When  we 
have  all  our  baggage  it  amounts  to  one  extra  fare. 

At  4:30  we  took  an  automobile  with  the  Rosses  and  drove  all  around  the 
city.  Alexandria  has  over  350,000  inhabitants.  The  two  harbors  are  beautiful, 
the  eastern  one,  which  was  the  ancient  one,  being  only  used  now  for  small  craft. 
This  afternoon  and  the  next  morning  sufficed  to  see  all  we  wanted,  including 
Pompey's  pillar,   the  Catacombs,  lighthouse,   etc. 

As  usual  the  hotel  was  crowded,  owing  to  the  departure  of  the  steamer 
tomorrow.  By  the  way,  in  Cairo,  the  Semiramis,  the  Savoy  and  the  Gezereh 
Palace  Hotels  are  closed,  which  accounts  for  the  crowded  condition  of  the  othera. 

ALEXANDRIA,  WEDNESDAY,  March  17,  1920. 
Left  the  hotel  right  after  lunch  to  give  time  for  Custom  House  and  police 
investigations.  Our  baggage  had  to  be  examined  before  sailing  but  fortunately 
only  perfunctorily.  The  only  really  "mean"  Custom  House  I  have  encountered 
is  the  American.  I  must  make  one  exception  that  Sallie  will  remember  well. 
We  had  sent  most  of  our  baggage  "petite  vitesse"  from  Italy  to  Paris,  consigned 
to  Cook's.  When  it  arrived,  instead  of  Cook's  clearing  it  as  we  had  expected, 
they  said  we  would  have  to  attend  to  it  ourselves  and  we  drove  an  interminable 
distance  to  a  bonded  warehouse.  There  a  "fiend  in  human  shape"  dragged 
everything   out   of   the   trunks   and   wanted   to   charge   duty   on   about   everything 


125 

the  two  Stetson  ladies  owned.  "After  the  battle**  a  cab  (it  should  have  been  an 
ambulance)  brought  us  back  to  the  hotel  and  we  all  swore  an  oath  never  to  let 
our  baggage  cross  the  frontiers  of  Europe  again,  except  accompanied  by  our- 
selves.     Then  everything  is  lovely. 

Our  cabin  on  the  Sicilia  is  on  the  upper  deck  and  quite  large,  but  there 
are  no  drawers,  no  bureau,  and  almost  no  hooks.  It  is  the  worst  arrangement 
we  have  had  yet. 

We  had  paid  Cook's  to  take  charge  of  our  baggage  at  the  railway  station 
and  put  it  on  board,  but  not  a  single  one  of  his  men  touched  or  even  looked  at 
any  of  our  twelve  pieces  (eleven  to  be  correct,  as  I  have  drunk  up  the  package 
of  canned  milk)  without  first  joining  the  band  of  wolves  that  surrounded  us  on 
the  dock,   howling  for  "baksheesh",  until  paid  a  further  tip. 

We  had  failed  to  get  a  colored  photograph  of  Pompey*s  pillar  and  Cook's 
man  volunteered  to  send  one  of  his  "fachinos**  on  whom  he  could  rely  to  pro- 
cure one  as  per  written  description.  Just  before  the  boat  started  he  arrived 
breathless  with  a  measly  uncolored  postal  card  package,  claiming  that  he  had 
scoured  the  whole  city  to  procure  it,  in  a  cab,  to  the  tune  of  20  piastres  ($1.00). 
Another  rushed  up  to  say  that  he  had  put  all  of  our  big  baggage  in  the  hold  of 
the  steamer,  etc. 

We  left  the  wharf  promptly  at  four  o'clock  and  the  view,   looking  back  at 
the  town  and  harbor,  was  beautiful. 
Mailed  through  Mr.  Ross  from  Naples. 
Received  at  San  Francisco,  April    10,    1920. 

AT  SEA,  THURSDAY  AND  FRIDAY,  March  18-19,  1920. 
The  "Sicilia"  logs  only  about  300  miles  per  day,  but  shakes  as  if  it  went 
much  faster.  The  beds  are  two  "low^ers"  but  as  an  offset  to  that  advantage 
they  are  very  uncomfortable, — very  narrow  and  a  deep  depression  in  the  center 
of  the  mattress  longitudinally.  I  slept  badly  the  first  night  but  gradually  became 
hardened  to  it.      This  is  generally  the  case  with  me  on  the  steamers. 

The  only  persons  with  whom  we  got  at  all  acquainted  on  the  boat,  were  a 
Mrs.  Hall  of  Buffalo,  a  travelling  companion  of  the  Rosses  on  a  previous  steamer, 
and  a  Mrs.  Oliver  of  Cairo,  an  English  subject  but  evidenly  of  mixed  blood,  as 
she  appeared  more  French  or  Spanish  than  English.  She  sat  at  our  table  and 
we  played  bridge  with  her.  While  speaking  of  Monte  Carlo  she  offered  to  show 
me  a  system  that  she  esteemed  highly,  although  her  husband  had  lost  £  2000 
playing  it,  which  they  could  ill  afford.  The  reason  given  was  that  his  available 
capital  gave  out.  If  he  could  only  have  continued  half  an  hour  longer  he  would 
have  recouped  all  his  losses  and  £  1000  more — 1  think  I  will  stick  to  my  little 
system  that  has  put  me  a  little  ahead,  each  of  the  three  times  I  have  been  to 
Monte  Carlo. 

According  to  Cook's,  w^e  were  to  arrive  at  Syracuse  on  Sunday,  but  we 
found  that  we  were  to  land  Saturday  morning.  We  are  glad  as  the  trip  is 
monotonous.  Those  beautiful  days  between  Batavia  and  Colombo,  and  between 
Colombo  and  Port  Said,  have  spoiled  us  for  ocean  travelling  elsewhere.  We  are 
able  to  sit  out  on  deck  and  read  most  of  the  day,  and  bridge  uses  up  the  evenings. 
The  single  bath  room  on  our  deck  is  miserably  run,  as  is  all  the  service  of  the 
ship.  There  seems  to  be  no  purser  that  we  can  find  and  we  have  to  get  all  our 
information  from  the  Head  Steward,   in  very  broken  English. 

There  is  one  very  cheerful  aspect  to  the  situation  and  that  is,  we  are  now 
in  a   country  where  the  American   dollar   is  at   a    great   premium.      The  pre-war 


!26 

value  of  the  Italian  lira  was  5.20  to  the  dollar,  while  now  it  is  18  to  the  dollar. 
In  other  words,  the  lira  is  only  w^orth  5c  to  6c  in  our  money.  Of  course  Italian 
wages  have  gone  up  tremendously — say  from  two  lire  to  eight,  for  agricultural 
labor;  but  still  many  things  have  not  caught  up  with  the  rate  of  exchange  and 
Americans  get  -more  for  their  money  than  ever  before. 

We  feel  quite  well  acquainted  with  the  Ross  party.  He  is  quite  a  man  of 
affairs  and  has  held  important  posts  in  Canadian  political  life.  Barbara  has 
become  quite  confidential  with  Nellie,  particularly  with  regard  to  a  romance 
centering  around  an  English  officer  stationed  in  India,  that  she  met  on  a  steamer 
and  whom  she  wants  to  marry.  The  aunt,  Mrs.  Flagg,  is  sweet  and  shrinking 
but  well  read  and  well  informed.     She  sometimes  reminds  me  of  my  sister  Fanny. 


CHAPTER  IX. 
Sicily  and  Italy 


129 

SYRACUSE.  SICILY.  SATURDAY.  March  20.  1920. 
We  did  not  sight  land  until  after  ten  o'clock  and  dropped  our  anchor  in 
the  harbor  about  11:30.  So  we  had  lunch  at  12:00  before  landing.  To  show 
the  inefficiency  of  the  steamer  management,  we  had  to  hire  some  Sicilian  pirates 
that  had  come  aboard,  to  get  our  big  baggage  and  even  our  hand  baggage  to  the 
row  boat  alongside.  Three  of  them  claimed  to  have  participated  in  the  service 
and  when  I  handed  them  5  lire,  they  laughed  in  my  face  and  demanded  30  lire, 
at  the  same  time  calling  to  the  boatman  who  had  received  our  baggage  that  they 
had  not  been  paid,  whereupon  he  dropped  back,  out  of  reach  of  the  companion 
ladder.  All  this  in  the  presence  of  the  Sicilia's  officer,  who  refused  to  take  any 
part  in  the  affair.  I  finally  had  to  compromise  on  1 5  lire  for  a  service  that  on 
all  other  lines  is  performed  by  the  ship's  crew.  The  baggage  boatman  refused 
to  come  up  to  the  ladder,  so  that  we  had  to  take  another  boat  for  ourselves, 
when  all  proceeded  to  row  to  the  custom   house  dock. 

There  we  found  a  crowd  of  vociferating  and  gesticulating  individuals,  each 
claiming  us  as  his  prey.  I  picked  out  a  man  in  a  large  gold  braided  cap.  bearing 
the  name  of  the  Politi  Hotel  and  placed  myself  under  his  protecting  wing. 
Thereupon  all  the  others  subsided  as  if  by  charm.  I  explained  that  we  were  not 
stopping  at  Syracuse  but  wanted  to  go  by  the  first  train  to  Taormina  and  desired 
him  to  take  charge  of  us  and  our  baggage  to  that  end.  He  was  a  most  business 
like  individual  (a  German  1  suspect).  He  paid  off  the  boatmen,  got  our  baggage 
on  a  cart  and  up  to  the  Custom  House,  where  it  was  passed  without  opening 
at  all,  and  then  said  he  w^ould  register  it  for  Taormina.  get  our  tickets  and  meet 
us  at  train  time,  leaving  us  free  to  do  what  we  liked  betw^een  two  and  three- 
thirty. 

We  took  a  cab  and  went  to  the  Roman  Amphitheatre  and  to  the  Caves  of 
Dionysius.  I  also  visited  on  the  way  a  factory  for  making  citric  acid  and  essential 
oil  of  lemons.  Also  sent  a  telegram  to  the  Hotel  Villa  San  Pancrazio  at  Taormina 
to  let  them  know  that  we  would  arrive  a  day  before  our  cabled  advice  from 
Alexandria. 

There  is  an  urgent  telegraph  service  in  Italy  at  just  three  times  the  regular 
rates  and  1  used  this.      The  telegram  cost  4.80  lire  or  about  25   cents  American. 

We  had  been  variously  informed  by  the  several  individuals  consulted  that 
the  time  from  Syracuse  to  Taorm.ina  was  from  two  hours  to  five  hours.  We 
could  not  understand  this  until  we  learned  that  there  are  three  classes  of  trains 
in  Italy;  first,  the  accelerated;  second,  the  direct;  third,  the  most  direct,  which 
is  the  fastest.  1  am  stating  the  actual  truth  when  I  say  that  the  No.  1  "accel- 
erato"  averages  ten  miles  per  hour  from  point  to  point. 

The  distance  from  Syracuse  to  Giardini  (the  station  for  Taormina,  which 
is  on  a  hill,  several  hundred  feet  higher)  is  about  90  kilometers,  or  56  miles. 
We  started  a  little  late  at  3:50  p.m.  and  arrived  at  7:20,  by  the  "direct".  It 
took  us  close  to  an  hour  in  a  one  horse  cab  to  reach  the  Villa  San  Pancrazio 
at  Taormina.  The  English  landlady,  Mrs.  Dashwood,  had  only  that  day  received 
our  cable  from  Alexandria  and  did  not  expect  us  until  the  next  day,  as  our 
urgent  service  telegram  arrived  after  us.  She  gave  us  all  she  had,  which  were 
two  single  rooms,  adjoining  but  not  connecting  and  without  a  private  bath. 
They  were  on  the  north  side,  on  the  ground  floor  and  cold  as  a  barn.  The  only 
warm  thing  was  her  welcome  and  she  certainly  is  the  most  obliging,  amiable  and 
attractive  woman  I  have  known  in  the  hotel  business.  But  for  that  we  would 
have  gotten  out  the  next  morning. 

To    come   back    to    our    railroad   trip    from    Syracuse.      This    certainly    is   a 


130 

beautiful  land.  It  must  have  been  about  Sicily  that  it  was  written  that — "Every 
prospect  pleases  and  only  man  is  vile".  It  is  a  hilly  country  with  the  chalk  rock 
cropping  out  everywhere,  even  in  the  valleys,  and  forming  the  apex  of  the  hills 
in  castle  shapes.  Leraons,  olives  and  almonds  are  the  principal  trees;  the  former 
loaded  with  golden  fruit,  the  almonds  about  half  grown,  the  olives  in  leaf  but 
the  state  of  fruitage  not  apparent  from  the  railroad.  The  balance  of  the  land  is 
in  leguminous  crops,  (the  horse  bean  predominating)  in  grain  and  in  pasture. 
On  the  latter,  fair  sized  flocks  and  herds  of  cattle,  sheep  and  goats  are  seen. 
The  railroad  pierces  the  hills  in  many  tunnels  and  the  roadbed  is  quite  good, 
contrary  to  my   expectation. 

TAORMINA,  SUNDAY,  March  21,  1920. 

Breakfast  in  our  room,  consisting  of  one  boiled  egg,  coffee  of  our  own  niake, 
toast,  marmalade  and  honey.  Italian  bread  is  still  w^ar  bread,  very  dark  but  not 
bad.  We  have  stipulated  for  two  eggs  apiece  in  future.  Mrs.  Dashwood,  the 
landlady,  has  to  cut  corners  pretty  close  as  her  prices  are  exceedingly  moderate. 
We  only  pay  15  lire  apiece  for  the  two  rooms,  and  25  lire  each  of  us  for  three 
meals.  Grand  total  80  lire  or  about  $4.50  American  for  both.  Even  this  would 
be  cut  to  70  lire  if  by  the  week.  This  is  ridiculously  cheap  compared  to  any- 
thing heretofore  on  our  trip. 

However  there  is  a  Hotel  San  Domenico,  in  an  old  convent,  that  is  much 
better  situated,  with  a  gorgeous  view  of  Mount  Etna,  which  we  do  not  have  here. 
Their  price  for  the  same  accommodation  would  be  122  lire  and  w^e  would  gladly 
pay  the  difference,  but  w^e  immediately  established  such  friendly  relations  with 
Mrs.   Dashwood  that  we   have  not  the  heart  to   leave  her. 

Her  husband  is  a  physician  in  London  and  their  only  son,  at  fourteen, 
through  a  football  accident,  developed  very  serious  hip  trouble.  Experts  said 
his  only  chance  of  getting  well  was  to  come  to  a  very  mild  climate,  so  they  chose 
Taormina.  The  husband  started  to  practice  here  but  there  was  not  enough 
work  to  make  a  living  so,  in  addition,  they  invested  all  they  had  and  all  they 
could  borrow  in  building  this  Villa  hotel.  That  was  twelve  years  ago.  Their  boy 
got  well,  but  they  made  only  a  scanty  living.  Then  the  war  came  on,  stopping 
all  tourist  business  and  they  went  back  to  London.  Their  boy  enlisted  in  the 
machine  gun  corps  and  rose  to  a  Captaincy  but  at  the  cost  of  some  recurrence 
of  his  hip  trouble,  as  well  as  serious  heart  trouble.  Her  husband  enlisted  in  the 
medical  service  and  she  herself  did  war  work  as  manager  of  a  canteen.  At  one 
time  she  was  in  control  of  all  the  Aviation  Canteens  in  London,  feeding  four 
thousand  men  per  day.  After  Doctor  Dashwood  was  demobilized,  he  invested 
all  his  ready  money  in  the  purchase  of  a  practice  in  the  East  End  of  London,  and 
is  doing  very  well.  She  came  out  and  opened  up  here  again,  but  railroad 
strikes,  etc.,  have  made  this  a  poor  season,  though  she  is  most  hopeful  of  the 
future.  The  boy  is  also  doing  well  in  business  in  spite  of  his  handicaps.  She 
closes  up  here  and  goes  home  in  six  weeks,  until  next  December,  as  there  are 
no  tourists  in  the  hot  weather. 

She  told  us  a  wonderful  tale  about  their  experience  with  the  Mafia.  After 
she  reached  here,  all  went  well  until  Doctor  Dashwood  put  out  his  shingle  to 
practice  his  profession.  Then  at  the  instigation  of  the  local  doctors  they  came 
under  the  ban  of  this  Society,  all  powerful  in  Sicily  and  Southern  Italy. 

The  first  effort  to  drive  them  out,  but  which  they  did  not  immediately 
recognize  as  such,  was  when  the  local  trades  people  would  not  sell  them  supplies, 
always  giving  some  excuse,  such  as  that  their  stock  was  sold,  etc.  She  had  to  go 
to  Messina  or  Catania  and  buy  a  week's  stock  at  a   time.      They  had  made  the 


t31 

acquaintance  of  a  Sicilian  of  old  and  influential  family,  Barone  di  Policastrello, 
who  had  taken  a  great  fancy  to  them  and  through  his  influence  the  boycott  was 
lifted.  Then  their  servants  left  and  they  could  get  no  others,  until  again  the 
Barone  sent  them  two  of  his  old  trusted  retainers.  Then  one  evening  the  Barone 
came  to  dinner  uninvited,  and  stayed  on  until  she  retired.  When  her  husband 
came  to  bed,  he  told  her  that  the  Barone  had  decided  that  he  wanted  to  sleep  in 
their  house  and  had  installed  himself  on  the  drawing  room  sofa,  there  being  no 
guest  room.  He  was  there  in  the  morning  and  without  any  explanation  stayed 
on  all  that  day  and  night.  When  the  doctor  went  out,  he  accompanied  him  like 
a  shadow^,  even  on  his  professional  calls.  To  make  a  long  story  short,  the 
Barone,  who  was  a  widower,  stayed  with  them  for  two  years  until  presumably 
the  ban  was  lifted  by  his  influence,  and  during  that  time  the  Doctor  never  went 
out  unless  accompanied  by  the  Barone  or  one  of  his  trusted  servants.  Several 
attempts  to  enter  the  house  at  night,  presumably  with  murderous  intent,  were 
made.      Mrs.   Dashwood  and  the  boy  went  about  unmolested. 

All  this  time  the  Barone  would  never  give  any  satisfactory  explanation  of 
his  conduct.  When  she  told  him  that  she  knew  they  were  in  danger  from  the 
Mafia,  he  stated  that  it  was  ridiculous,  that  there  was  no  such  thing  as  the  Mafia, 
and  he  forbade  her  ever  to  mention  this  again  to  him  or  anyone  else. 

She  says  they  are  all  in  it,  high  and  low,  and  it  is  the  most  powerful  in- 
fluence in  Sicily  and  Calabria,  in  spite  of  all  the  opposition  of  the  Catholic 
church.  In  a  novel  by  Rex  Beach  called  "The  Net",  he  has  woven  into  the 
story  a  substantially  correct  description  of  how  the  Mafia  rules  the  lives  of  the 
Sicilians. 

About  ten  o'clock  we  went  up  the  road  a  hundred  yards,  past  the  Messina 
or  northern  gate,  into  the  town  proper.  A  few  steps  further  along  the  Corse 
Umberto  Primo  is  the  road  that  branches  off  to  the  Greek  theatre,  our  objective. 
This  Corso  or  Main  Street  runs  horizontally  along  the  hill  side,  and  the  side 
streets  run  sharply  from  it,  up  one  side  and  down  on  the  other.  .Almost  all  the 
important  buildings  are  on  the   Corso. 

The  Taormina  Greek  theatre  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  classical  ruins  in 
Italy.  The  foundations,  and  consequently  the  shape,  is  Greek — ^viz:  a  hem- 
isphere, as  distinct  from  the  Roman  ellipse — but  when  Roman  domination  of 
Sicily  supplanted  the  Greek,  the  Roman  architecture  was  partly  superimposed 
upon  the  original  structure.  From  the  auditorium,  looking  through  the  ruined 
arches  and  pillars,  we  saw  one  of  the  most  beautiful  views  in  the  world,  with 
snow-capped  Etna  as  a  background.  By  the  way,  Etna  just  now  is  smoking  all 
day  and  glows  at  night. 

The  Sicilians  as  a  race  are  a  most  complex  product.  The  position  of  the 
Island  in  the  center  of  the  Mediterranean,  and  consequently  the  center  of  the 
ancient  civilized  world,  made  it  the  meeting  ground  and  battle  ground  of  all  the 
dominating  races.  On  the  ancient  prehistoric  race  as  a  foundation,  the  following 
civilizations  successively  left  their  impress,  more  or  less  deep.  The  Phoenicians, 
the  Greeks,  the  Carthaginians,  the  Romans,  the  Saracens,  the  Normans,  the 
French,  the  Spaniards  and  even  for  a  few  years,  the  English.  As  a  result  all  types 
are  seen  and  in  Taormina  perhaps  one  in  five  of  the  children  are  fair  haired  with 
blue  or  grey  eyes. 

After  lunch  on  this  Sunday  we  sauntered  through  the  town,  taking  a  bird's- 
eye  view  of  its  quaint  old  buildings  and  churches.  Palaces  turned  into  shops  or 
even  stables  for  animals,  on  the  ground  Hoor.  We  do  not  pretend  to  make  a 
study  of  the  architecture,  but  take  the  guide  book's  word  for  its  character  and 
content   ourselves   with   a    superficial    inspection. 


132 

TAORMINA,  MONDAY,  March  22,  1920. 

Our  north  exposure  rooms  are  really  too  colH  for  comfort  and  even  health, 
't'he  central  heating  system  does  not  seem  to  reach  them,  as  it  is  fed  with  wood 
instead  of  coal,  which  is  not  obtainable  here  at  any  price.  The  landlady  has 
given  us  her  coal  oil  lamp  heater,  but  it  is  a  homeopathic  remedy.  Some  people 
are  leaving  tomorrow  and  we  are  to  be  moved  to  a  room  on  the  corner  of  the 
upper  floor,   that  has  one  window  on  the   north  west. 

We  are  exploring  the  curio  shops  and  Nellie  is  investigating  a  school  started 
by  an  Englishwoman,  Miss  Hill,  to  teach  the  native  girls  embroidery  and  drawn 
work,  with  a  view  to  getting  some  curtains. 

There  is  really  nothing  commanding  in  the  way  of  architecture  or  art,  but 
we  are  perfectly  satisfied  to  wander  around  and  admire  the  natural  beauties  of 
the  scenery. 

We  took  a  walk  out  a  short  distance  to  a  house  belonging  to  the  author, 
Robert  Hitchins,  where  he  wrote  "The  Call  of  the  Blood"  and  other  stories. 
It  is  very  small  and  he  uses  it  only  to  work  in  and  lives  at  the  Hotel  Timeo. 

In  the  afternoon  we  started  on  donkeys  to  climb  up  to  the  ruined  Saracen 
castle  (1,300  feet)  and,  on  another  hill  connected  by  a  high  ridge,  the  village  of 
Mola  (2,000  feet).  It  was  too  uncomfortable  for  Nellie  and  she  very  soon  turned 
back  on  foot.  I  was  very  glad  of  this  as  I  subsequently  found  that  she  could 
not  have  stood  the  trip  up,  and  still  less  down,  so  that  the  farther  she  had  gone, 
the  longer  walk  she  would  have  had  back  on  a  very  bad  stony  road.  I  persevered 
and  was  well  repaid  by  the  views  which  I  lack  adjectives  to  fitly  describe. 

The  weather  is  warm  in  the  sun  but  cool  in  the  shade  and  even  cold  at 
night.  The  highest  temperature  we  have  been  able  to  attain,  even  in  the  new 
room  and  with  the  help  of  the  coal  oil  lamp,  is  62  degrees.  The  sitting  room, 
which  is  in  the  central  court  with  a  glass  roof,  is  warm  in  the  day  but  also 
gets  cold  at  night. 

Mrs.  Dashwood  has  some  very  good  native  and  French  v/ines  that  she  laid 
in  before  the  war,  since  which  her  house  has  been  closed,  and  these  she  prices  in 
lire,  which  makes  them  extremely  cheap;  so  I  am  indulging  myself  in  Macon, 
Beaune,  Chateau  Lafite  and  Chateau  Larose  at  ridiculously  low  prices.  I  think 
she  is  glad  enough  to  turn  them  into  money  as  her  clientele  does  not  seem  to 
patronize   them. 

TAORMINA,  TUESDAY,  March  23.  1920. 

On  starting  out  this  morning  we  got  into  conversation  with  an  American 
lady  of  uncertain  age,  who  turned  out  to  be  the  intimate  friend  of  Miss  Grace 
Ewing  of  San  Francisco,  the  Y.  W.  C.  A.  war  entertainer  of  whom  we  wrote  from 
Japan.  Her  name  is  Miss  Hooper  and  she  and  another  lived  in  the  same  apart- 
ment with  Miss  Ewing.  The  latter  did  not  even  know  her  friend  was  going 
abroad  but  had  written  to  her  about  us.  What  a  strange  coincidence  that  we 
should  have  met. 

On  the  night  that  we  arrived,  we  received  from  Cairo  Sallie's  cable  saying 
that  she  had  abandoned  her  trip  to  Europe.  This  is  a  great  regret  and  disap- 
pointment to  us,  as  we  had  been  counting  on  a  family  meeting.  On  the  next 
day  we  got  Henry's  cable  saying:  "Everybody  well.  Adeline  sails  France 
May  12th".  We  are  very  glad  to  learn  this  and  have  some  hopes  that  even  if 
Sallie  does  not  care  to  come,  she  may  decide  to  let  Marie  Louise  come  at  the 
same  time  as  Adeline.  Beside  the  pleasure  it  would  give  us,  I  really  think  it 
would  be  a   great  educational  advantage  for  her  to   see   something  of  the   great 


133 

world   just   at   her  age.      We   have   cabled   Sallie   regarding   this   and   hope   for   a 
favorable  reply. 

It  was  today  that  we  visited  the  Hotel  San  Domenico,  its  courts  and  cloisters, 
its  cells  turned  into  bedrooms  and  its  lovely  garden  on  a  high  jutting  promontory 
of  rock,  that  commands  a  beautiful  view  almost  all  around  the  horizon,  including 
the  wonderful  blue  sea  and  picturesque  coast  line. 

TAORMINA,  WEDNESDAY,  March  24.   1920. 

We  started  this  morning  about  9:30  for  a  motor  trip  around  Mount  Etna. 
We  invited  Mrs.  Dashwood  to  go  with  us  and  she  brought  a  nice  picnic  lunch 
along,  which  she  supplemented  with  a  bottle  of  very  agreeable  native  wine, 
rather  a  sweet  sherry  type,  bought  at  a  small  shop  along  the  road.  The  car  is  a 
Fiat,  belonging  to  Robert  Hitchins,  who  gives  his  chauffeur  the  right  to  use  it 
for  hire,  when  he  himself  is  away,  in  lieu  of  wages.  It  is  ten  years  old  but  the 
engine  still  seems  in  very  good  condition,  showing  that  these  European  cars  are 
made  of  good  material.  It  was  very  comfortable  although  the  road  is  quite 
bad  in  parts.  The  Circuit  is  about  160  kilometers  or  100  miles,  and  includes 
the  cities  of  Randazzo  and  Catania.  Also  the  town  of  Bronte,  on  the  estate  that 
Ferdinand  IV  gave  to  Lord  Nelson,  when  he  created  him  Duke  of  Bronte.  The 
present  Duke  of  Bronte,  collateral  heir  of  Nelson,  also  has  a  fine  Villa  in 
Taormina  and  spends  part  of  the  year  here. 

The  chauffeur  had  the  worst  looking  bunch  of  tires  you  can  imagine  and, 
sure  enough,  we  had  an  assorted  lot  of  punctures  and  blowouts  until,  when  about 
half  way  around  he  threw  up  his  hands  and  we  boarded  an  automobile  truck 
that  passed,  and  jolted  into  Catania,  where  we  took  the  train  for  Taormina — the 
same  train  that  we  had  taken  the  first  day — and  we  arrived  at  the  hotel  at 
8:30  p.  m.  The  first  part  of  the  trip,  up  to  lunch  time,  was  one  of  the  very 
finest  that  I  have  ever  taken;  the  last  part,  our  attention  was  diverted  from  the 
scenery. 

We  were  constantly  in  sight  of  old  lava  flows  from  Etna,  which  had  filled 
up  the  gulches  and  destroyed  everything  in  their  paith.  Often  the  road  crossed 
through  them  like  a  cut  in  a  railroad  right-of-way,  as  high  as  1  5  to  20  feet.  In 
one  place  the  flow  of  lava  had  stopped  within  ten  feet  of  a  house  directly  in  its 
path. 

On  the  lower  levels  the  land  is  in  lemon  trees,  planted  15  to  18  feet  apart 
and  allowed  to  grow  up  about  the  same  height,  the  branches  meeting  com- 
pletely.     The  picking  is  done  with  ladders.      Irrigation  in  basins. 

As  the  altitude  increased  say  to  one  thousand  feet,  olives  and  nuts  appeared, 
but  principally  vines,  which  continued  as  high  as  we  went  (2,500  feet).  There 
is  practically  no  level  land  in  this  mountain  country,  and  everything  is  grown 
on  terraces  faced  with  lava  rocks.  The  expense  of  this  work  would  be  pro- 
hibitive except  in  this  land  of  very  low  pre-war  wages. 

TAORMINA,  THURSDAY,  March  25,  1920. 
Today  we  took  a  carriage  and  going  up  the  coast  northwards  came  to  Capo 
Sant*  Alessio,  a  rocky  promontory  with  a  deserted  castle  on  top  that  forms  a 
feature  of  the  shore  view  from  our  rooms  in  the  hotel,  being  one  horn  of  the 
roadstead  just  north  of  us.  Across  the  road  inland  from  this  is  the  town  of  Forza 
d'Agro,  perched  picturesquely  on  the  top  of  an  abrupt  hill  of  1,400  feet,  that 
we  did  not  attempt  to  climb.  The  people  of  these  sky  line  towns  are  many  of 
them  Contadini,  or  agriculturists,  who  go  down  and  back  daily  on  their  donkeys 
to  their  work  in  the  lowlands. 


134 

The  balance  of  the  time  was  devoted  to  trying  to  get  Miss  Hill  to  finish  a 
design  for  Nellie's  curtains,  and  to  give  an  estimate  of  cost.  She  is  a  charming 
woman  but  most  unpractical  and  unmethodical.  In  between  times,  1  try  to  find 
the  Chief  of  Police,  either  in  his  office  or  his  home,  to  ascertain  if  he  has  to 
endorse  my  passport,  but  I  have  not  yet  been  able  to  locate  him.  How  different 
from  our  experience  thus  far  on  our  trip. 

We  learned  that  the  chauffeur  of  yesterday  did  not  get  in  last  night  until 
after  midnight,  yet  he  had  the  cheek  to  demand  full  fare  for  the  trip.  I  finally 
compromised  by  deducting  only  the  actual  cost  of  getting  back  after  we  left  him, 
making  no  allowance  for  the  inconvenience  we  had  been  put  to. 

TAORMINA,  FRIDAY,  March  26,    1920. 

Nellie  has  scraped  up  an  acquaiiitance  with  a  Mrs.  Major  Jackson,  here  with 
her  husband,  who  has  lost  one  eye  and  been  otherwise  shot  up  in  the  war.  She 
is  most  attractive  both  in  appearance  and  manner;  also  intelligent  and  well  in- 
formed regarding  things  artistic  in  the  antiquity  shops.  She  has  been  here  a 
couple  of  months  and  is  showing  Nellie  the  things  that  she  has  found  but  cannot 
afford  to  buy.  Nellie  is  in  this  way  picking  up  a  few  bargains  in  odds  and  ends. 
The  lira  has  dropped  to  19^  for  a  dollar  and  we  can  never  expect  to  have  such 
on  opportunity  again. 

3he  also  took  us  to  the  house  of  an  American  painter  by  the  name  of  Chas. 
King  Wood,  which  is  part  of  an  old  monastery  and  most  quaint  and  artistic. 
He  paints  in  water  colors  and  has  charming  views  of,  and  around,  Taormina. 
We  have  bought  a  couple  of  his  paintings  as  souvenirs  but  will  have  to  pay  him 
in  good  American  dollars.  Through  a  friend  he  is  having,  or  is  about  to  have, 
an  exhibition  in  Los  Angeles,  and  he  had  one  in  Boston  last  winter.  His  work 
pleases  us  very  much.      We  also  bought  one  of  his  pictures  of  Egypt. 

We  had  music  by  a  string  band  of  seven  pieces  at  dinner  tonight,  and  after- 
wards in  the  main  hall,  more  music  and  dancing  of  the  tarantella. 

We  had  arranged  to  motor  to  Palermo  via  Messina,  and  there  take  the  night 

boat    for   Naples,    in   preference   to    going  by   rail  via   Reggio.      The   day   train 

Reggio  to  Naples — has  been  taken  off  and  we  do  not  want  any  night  train  travel, 
if  we  can  possibly  avoid  it.  We  had  stipulated  that  before  starting  Carmelo,  the 
Hitchins  chauffeur,  must  show  us  five  new  tires.  These  he  has  bought,  so  he 
says,  but  is  now  uncertain  if  he  can  get  the  allowance  of  gasoline  necessary, 
from  the  government.  At  all  events  we  shall  start  from  here  day  after  tomor- 
row, Sunday,  for  Palermo,  either  by  rail  or  motor,  according  to  circumstances. 
Mailed  from  Taormina,  March  28,  1920. 
Received  at  San  Francisco,  April  23,    1920. 

TAORMINA,   SATURDAY,   March  27,    1920. 

We  spent  this  day  in  a  last  round  of  the  beautiful  views  that  have  been 
giving  us  such  pleasure  all  the  week.  Also  we  made  a  final  round  of  the  antique 
shops  and  picked  up  two  nice  little  miniatures  on  ivory. 

Major  Jackson  and  his  wife  were  with  us  part  of  the  time.  They  are  very 
well  bred  people.  Her  two  brothers  were  in  the  regular  armj'  and  formed  part 
of  the  first  unit  that  went  to  Belgium,  and  fought  so  heroically.  They  went 
right  through  the  war  unscathed  and  one  of  them  is  a  General.  She  explained 
that  they  were  on  an  automobile  trip  through  Sicily,  in  the  sense  that  one  of 
her  husband's  friends  had  left  him  an  automobile  in  his  will.  They  could  not 
afford  to  keep  it  so  they  sold  it,  and  as  he  was  much  run  down  they  are  making 
this  trip  on  the  proceeds.  They  live  in  Oxford  and  have  asked  us  to  motor  out 
for  lunch  from  London. 


135 

I  played  bridge  a  couple  of  nights  with  some  English  people,  at  1/2  lira  per 
hundred  (2|/2  cents  per  100),  the  smallest  stakes  I  have  ever  played  for.  We 
have  not  so  far  on  our  trip  met  any  very  good  or  up-to-date  players. 

Carmelo  the  chauffeur  reported  tonight  that  he  could  not  get  any  govern- 
ment gasoline  at  40  lire,  but  had  to  pay  100  to  125  lire  from  second  hands.  So 
he  wanted  to  double  the  price  on  us.  We  refused  to  be  bluffed  and  then  he  came 
down  to  150  percent  of  the  original,  and  tried  to  establish  a  moral  claim  owing 
to  the  fact  that  he  had  bought  new  tires  for  our  trip.  We  sent  him  about  his 
business  and  decided  to  go  by  train  to  Messina  and  then  motor  to  Palermo,  if  we 
can  make  proper  arrangements. 

TAORMINA,  SUNDAY,  March  28.    1920. 

Our  big  baggage  was  packed  the  night  before  and  went  down  to  Giardini 
early,  to  be  registered  for  Palermo.  We  followed  later,  stopping  on  the  way  to 
call  on  Miss  Hill,  to  whom  Nellie  has  given  a  large  order  for  curtains,  household 
and  personal  linen.  She  lives  in  the  old  convent  of  Santa  Caterina,  which  has 
one  of  the  finest  cloisters  in  Taormina,  and  a  very  good  fresco  of  the  Last  Supper 
on  the  refectory  wall.  Her  mother  bought  this  place,  with  several  acres  of 
beautiful  gardens,  about  twenty  years  ago  for  £  500  Stg.  and  they  are  now  trying 
to  sell  it  to  settle  her  estate.  They  asked  £  20,000  Stg.  and  although  they  have 
spent  something  in  restoration,  it  is  a  ridiculous  price,  that  they  will  never  get. 
There  are  several  other  villas,  owned  by  foreigners,  for  sale.  Exile,  even*  in  so 
beautiful  a  prison  as  Taormina,  seems  to  pall  after  a  while. 

We  are  trying,  through  Miss  Hill,  to  engage  a  Scotch  maid,  who  travelled 
for  years  w^ith  her  mother.  Lady  Hill,  all  over  Europe. 

On  arriving  at  the  Giardini  station,  we  learned  that  the  ten  o'clock  train 
for  Messina  had  been  abandoned,  but  could  get  no  explanation  as  to  the  reason. 
So  we  had  to  return  to  Mrs.  Dashwood's  and  wait  for  the  four  o'clock.  Every- 
body there  had  a  different  reason  to  give  for  this  annoying  delay.  Mrs.  Dash- 
wood  went  and  interviewed  her  cook,  a  Frenchman  married  to  a  native  of  the 
place,  who  on  this  account  is  her  great  authority  on  Things  Sicilian.  He  opined 
that  it  was  the  commencement  of  the  general  strike,  of  which  there  are  constant 
rumors.  Mrs.  Dashwood  sent  him  down  to  get  a  sack  of  flour  and  some  other 
provisions,  to  provide  against  a  siege.  Incidentally,  the  Italian  papers  the  other 
day  had  a  telegram  from  New  York,  stating  that  the  Reds  were  ready  to  declare 
the  general  strike  there,  in  order  to  attain  their  ends  by  the  starvation  of  the 
City,  and  their  leaders  predicted  in  connection  therewith  that  blood  would  run 
in  rivers.     So  we  are  lucky  to  be  in  Sicily  and  not  in  New  York. 

TTie  afternoon  train  was  only  three  quarters  of  an  hour  late,  a  suspicious 
circumstance  in  itself,  but  in  spite  of  this  we  have  heard  nothing  further  of  the 
general  strike,   either  in  Italy  or  in  New  York. 

On  arrival  at  Messina,  amid  the  usual  confusion  caused  by  everybody,  in- 
cluding ourselves,  travelling  with  as  much  baggage  as  possible  in  the  compart- 
ment, where  it  is  carried  free,  we  were  rescued  from  the  tangle  of  jostling  and 
shouting  passengers  and  "fachinos"  by  an  individual,  also  alighting  from  the 
train,  who  claimed  acquaintance  on  the  score  that  he  had  seen  us  alight  at 
Giardini  (Taormina)  with  Mrs.  Dashwood,  on  our  return  from  Etna.  I  did  not 
stand  on  ceremony  but  gladly  accepted  his  services  to  get  to  the  Hotel  Select. 
He  turned  out  to  be  a  jack  of  all  trades,  including  guide,  and  pioneered  us  on 
a  drive  through  Messina   that  afternoon. 

Of  this  the  least  said  the  better.  Messina  is  still  largely  in  ruins,  eleven 
years  after  the  earthquake.      Some   new^  buildings   have  been   put   up   of  course, 


136 

but  the  poor  people  are  still  generally  living  in  the  wooden  and  corrugated  iron 
shacks  that  were  built  immediately  after  the  catastrophe,  and  to  a  very  con- 
siderable extent  by  American  contributions.  They  seem  perfectly  contented — 
so  do  the  sheep  and  goats  that  graze  plentifully  in  the  waste  places.  But  it  is  a 
depressing  sight  and,  after  viewing  the  interesting  ruins  of  the  Cathedral,  we 
soon  turned  back  to  the  hotel. 

On  the  w^ay  back,  still  under  the  protecting  w^ing  of  our  guide,  philosopher 
and  friend,  we  stopped  at  a  garage  and  arranged  to  motor  next  day  to  Palermo — 
1700  lire  for  the  trip  of  225  kilometers,  in  a  very  fair  landau,  as  against  the 
2000  lire  originally  asked  by  Carmelo  (which  included  50  kilometers  extra- — 
Taormina  to  Messina)  and  which  he  jumped  up  to  4000  and  then  down  to 
3000   lire. 

The  Select  Hotel  has  no  restaurant,  so  we  were  again  personally  conducted 
to  the  best  restaurant  in  the  town,  where  we  had  a  good  and  cheap  dinner. 

About  this  time  w^e  began  to  think  that,  in  this  land  of  brigands,  it  might  be 
well  to  find  out  something  about  our  self-constituted  guardian.  So  I  began 
enquiries,  first  from  the  porter  of  the  hotel  and  then  from  the  proprietor,  a  very 
courteous  and  gentlemanly  man.  They  had  known  our  guide,  Rosario  Fichera, 
for  many  years  and  considered  him  honest  and  reliable,  but  ignorant.  I  can 
vouch  for  the  correctness  of  the  latter  qualification.  However,  on  the  strength 
of  the  two  former  qualities,  we  engaged  his  services  for  the  remainder  of  our 
stay  in  Sicily. 

MESSINA,  MONDAY,  March  29,  1920. 
We  left  Messina  at  9:00  a.  m.  and  had  a  most  dusty  and  disagreeable  trip 
to  Palermo,  with  a  stop  for  lunch  at  Celafu',  at  about  three  o'clock.  The  road 
runs  along  the  sea  most  of  the  way  but  the  country  is  not  nearly  as  bold  or 
beautiful  as  around  Taormina.  Added  to  this  we  had  an  assortment  of  the 
worst  junk,  in  the  way  of  tires,  that  could  be  picked  out  of  a  scrap  heap  and 
we  had  our  eleventh  stop  for  punctures  or  blow  outs  after  reaching  Palermo, 
where  we  got  a  cab  to  take  us  to  the  Hotel  Igiea,  which  we  reached  at  eleven 
o'clock  at  night.      Of  course  our  trip  was  entirely  spoiled. 

PALERMO,  TUESDAY  AND  WEDNESDAY,  March  30-31,  1920. 
The  Hotel  Igiea  is  beautifully  located,  a  little  outside  of  the  city  proper 
and  with  a  glorious  view  of  the  Bay.  The  two  horns  of  the  crescent  that  forms 
the  bay  shore  are  very  bold  headlands.  One  of  them.  Mount  Pelegrino,  is  com- 
pared in  the  guide  book  to  the  Rock  of  Gibraltar,  which  is  an  exaggeration. 
For  our  very  short  stay  of  two  days  it  would  have  been  more  convenient  to  stop 
at  the  Palms  Hotel  in  the  center  of  town. 

During  our  two  days  stay,  our  guide  managed,  whenever  it  was  humanly 
possible,  to  get  us  to  the  different  places  at  the  time  they  were  closed,  but  in 
spite  of  this  we  managed  to  see  all  we  wanted  of  Palermo,  which  we  had  already 
visited  eleven  years  ago.  We  used  as  a  guide  book  "Sicily  by  Douglas  Slayden", 
which  is  very  interesting  but  very  much  over  enthusiastic.  Taormina  has  in  my 
opinion  the  most  picturesque  and  beautiful  (as  distinct  from  grand)  scenery  of 
any  place  I  have  seen,  but  the  list  of  places  in  Palermo  given  below  does  not 
warrant  Slayden's  exaggerated  encomiums,  which  I  append: 

CAPELLA  REALE  in  the  Royal  Palace — "The  most  beautiful  ecclesiastic  build- 
ing in  Europe." 
DELLA  TASCA  GARDENS — "One  of  the  finest   gardens  in  the  world." 
ROYAL  MUSEUM — "The  most  beautiful  of  all  museums." 


137 

CATHEDRAL  OF   MONREALE — Some   similar   hyperbole. 

TEATRO  MASSING — "The  largest  and  finest  opera  house  in  the  world." 

The  forenoon  of  our  second  day,  while  Nellie  rested  and  the  guide  got  our 
baggage  transferred  from  the  railroad  station  to  the  steamer,  I  visited  a  couple  of 
lemon  packing  houses  and  lemon  by-product  factories.  It  is  hard  to  get  accurate 
information  from  people  whose  language  I  do  not  speak,  and  who  themselves 
speak  poor  English  or  French.  I  tried  unsuccessfully  to  find  any  book  or  pub- 
lished statistics  of  the  industry,  but  have  been  promised  some  figures,  to  be 
forwarded  to  me  later.      These  are  some  of  the  facts  that  I  gleaned: 

Where  lemons  are  planted  in  a  solid  block,  as  distinct  from  terraces,  the 
trees  are  usually  about  18  feet  apart  (115  to  120  per  acre).  With  proper 
irrigation  a  tree  in  full  bearing  should  yield  one  thousand  lemons.  The  first 
branches  begin  some  eight  feet  from  the  ground  and  the  top  is  allowed  to  spread 
out  so  that  the  ground  is  completely  shaded.  They  use  ordinary  ladders  for 
picking.  Cultivation  is  entirely  by  hand — irrigation  in  basins,  At  this  time  of 
the  year  the  fruit  is  all  tree  ripe,  but  beginning  in  May  or  June,  w^hat  is  called 
the  "new  crop"  comes  in  and  is  picked  and  shipped  green. 

The  packing  houses  are  small;  the  largest  I  saw  had  a  capacity  of  1200 
boxes  per  day  and  was  then  running  400  boxes.  Everything  is  done  by  hand, 
mostly  w^ith  women  and  girls  who  get  4  lire  (20  cents  at  today's  exchange)  per 
day;  men  for  the  harder  w^ork  12  lire  (60  cents  per  day).  They  pack  two  quali- 
ties and  two  sizes — 300s  and  360s — wrapped  in  papers — 42  Kos — equals  92 
pounds.  Freight  to  Atlantic  seaboard  32c  to  40c  per  box  and  American  duty 
l/2c  per  pound. 

The  packers  buy  from  the  growers  in  the  open  market,  as  the  fruit  is 
carted  or  shipped  in.  They  were  paying  that  day  from  55  to  60  lire  per  thous- 
and ($2.75  to  $3.00)  for  orchard  run  and  getting  from  the  by-product  factories 
for  their  culls   (15%  to  20%)   40  to  42  lire   ($2.00  to  $2.10). 

The  by-product  or  acid  factories  also  do  everything  by  hand. 

FIRST:  The  essential  oil  is  extracted  by  boys  and  girls  who  scrape  the 
lemon  on  a  piece  of  coarse  jute,  spread  on  small  iron  cage  inside  of  which  is  a 
sponge  that  absorbs  the  oil  from  the  jute.  The  Sicilian  lemons,  they  say,  contain 
much  more  oil  than  the  Californian. 

Then  the  lemons  are  sliced  in  two  by  women  and  passed  to  another  crew, 
who  scrape  out  the  inside  with  one  twist  of  a  knife  shaped  for  the  purpose.  The 
rinds  are  packed  in  hogsheads,   in  water,  and  exported. 

The  meat  is  placed  with  chopped  straw  in  hand  presses  and  the  expressed 
juice  mixed  with  lime  to  make   citrate  of  lime,   which  is  the  final  product  here. 

The  crop  this  year  is  very  abundant  and  the  orchards  are  beautiful  to  look 
at.  The  exporters  say,  however,  that  just  now  returns  are  bad  owing  to  glutted 
American  markets.  They  speak  with  admiration  of  the  way  lemons  are  grown 
and  marketed  in  California,  but  they  consider  their  own  product  superior. 

On  Wednesday  at  7:00  p.m.  we  left  for  Naples  on  the  "Sicilia",  a  large 
steamer  with  very  commodious  cabins.  The  sea  was  smooth  but  the  ship  being 
very  light  had  a  slight  roll.  We  spent  a  good  night  and  landed  in  Naples  about 
nine  o'clock.  The  entrance  to  the  Bay  with  Capri  on  the  right  and  Mt.  Vesuvius 
in  front  was  most  imposing. 

NAPLES,  THURSDAY,  April  1,   1920. 

At  the  Hotel  Excelsior  we  got  two  rooms  and  a  bath,  fronting  on  the  Bay 
and  with  the  view  of  Vesuvius,  for  80  lire  plus    1 0  lire  for  light  and  heat,  which 


138 

is  always  charged  extra  in  Italy  and  generally  in  Europe,  though  they  give  you 
no  heat  and  precious  little  light.  The  rooms  being  on  the  corner  are  odd  shaped 
and  small,  but  they  and  the  bath  connect  through  a  private  corridor  in  which  we 
managed  to   crowd  our  big  baggage. 

We  met  casually  in  Sicily,  and  again  on  the  boat,  Mr.  Booth  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, wife  and  a  lady  friend,  travelling  with  a  very  good  courier,  who  w^ill  come 
to  us  tomorrow.  Mr.  Booth  is  famous  as  a  packer  of  sardines,  though  he  also 
packs  asparagus  and  some  other  products. 

As  soon  as  we  had  eaten  breakfast  we  went  around  to  Cook's  office  and 
were  delighted  to   receive  an  abundant  mail,   as  follows: 

From:  M.D.O.  1-29;  1-31;  3-3;  3-8;  and  3-16.  The  last  numbered  18. 
Also  noticed  that  she  had  sent  two  letters  to  Bombay  and  two  postcards, 
for  which  1  have  written.  The  numerous  enclosures  were  all  appreciated 
and  I  was  particularly  glad  to  hear  from  Euhpemie. 

S.S.W.  1-18  and  3-15.  This  last  letter  tells  about  the  serious  trouble 
that  she  has  been  having  and  makes  us  feel  very  badly.  We  have  cabled 
for  latest  news. 

B.A.O.  12-22;  12-23  and  3-15.  The  news  about  Savannah  Refinery  is 
very  interesting. 

Tommy  must  have  had  a  severe  case  of  influenza  to  be  in  the 
hospital  so  many  weeks  but  at  his  age  he  will  recuperate  fast.  We  don't 
understand  exactly  how  bad  the  accident  was  to  his  teeth  and  would  like 
to  have  particulars. 

H.T.O.  12-25  and  3-5  and  3-16.  Also  cable  repeated  from  Cairo  advis- 
ing that  Grayson  had  cabled  to  Jay,  the  Charge  d' Affaires  in  Rome  about 
us.  I  shall  certainly  call  upon  him  at  once  and  am  much  obliged  to 
Henry  and  Grayson. 

We  are  also  glad  to  know  that  Adeline  is  coming  with  Mrs.  ChafTraix 
and  Margot  Lelong  and  that  they  will  proceed  to  Paris.  I  will  conse- 
quently not  go  to  meet  her  at  the  dock.  Please  let  me  know  what  hotel 
they  will  go  to  and  the  name  of  the  steamer.  If  I  know  the  latter  I  can 
wireless  Adeline  the  name  of  our  hotel  and  let  her  come  directly  there. 
We  were  very  glad  to  get  the  last  advices  of  Nadine's  progress  and  have 
no  doubt  it  will  continue. 

H.N.S.  &  JOSEPHINE.  1-2  and  1-22.  Nellie  has  written  to  acknowledge 
these  and  thank  you  for  the  letter  from  General  Poett,  which  unfortunate- 
ly we  could  not  use.  Harry's  news  about  business  is  most  appreciated. 
We  are  hoping  to  see  them  in  Paris  for  our  appointment  at  the  Grand  Prix. 
RUTH  &  AL.  1-20;  3-15  and  3-16.  Most  newsy  and  interesting  letters 
for  which  many  thanks.  We  had  to  laugh  heartily  at  some  of  Al's 
descriptions.  Buddy  is  getting  so  old  that  I  see  we  will  have  to  de- 
pend on  little  Sallie  for  baby  talk  when  we  get  home. 

HERROD.  2-28.  Thanks  for  information  about  beet  acreage  in  Cali- 
fornia and  Colorado,  rain,  beet  seed  and  the  amount  of  sugar  left  unsold. 
MISS  SLUSHER.  1-16.  Thanks  for  enclosures  received  and  general  in- 
formation. 

MINNIE  CHASE.  With  interesting  comments  about  all  our  friends  in 
her  usual  breezy  style. 

SIM  THIBAUT  of  New  Orleans.  With  a  request  that  I  advance  him 
$60,000  to  buy  an  industrial  townsite,  somewhere  this  side  of,  but  close 


139 

to,   the  infernal  regions. 

CHUPI  SAUVALLE.      12-18.     New  Year's  Greetings  from  Havana. 

PIERCE   TO   MISS   S.      About   the   Auditor's   report   on   Patterson   Ranch 

which  is  noted  and  in  order. 

RUOPP.      3-4.      Interesting  and  valuable  details  about  our  citrus  orchard. 

B.A.O.,  Jr.      Nice  letter  of  thanks  for  Christmas  present. 

EDWARD   PREBLE    OXNARD,    aged    90.      A    nice   letter,    in    the    hand- 

writing  of  a   young  man,  which  I  will  pass  on  after  I   have  answered  it. 

He  heard  of  me  through  the  Oxnard  at  Guelph,  Ontario. 

CHRISTMAS  CARDS  from  Noble,  Pierce  and  De  Coninck. 
The  above  makes  the  magnificent  total  of  over  thirty  communications  and 
it  took  us  most  of  that  day,  and  off  and  on  for  several  days,  to  read  and  re-read 
them   and   the  Argonauts  and  Chronicles.      The   pleasure   made  up   for  the   long 
waits  we   have  had  before. 

A  very  sad  feature  of  this  mail  however  was  the  large  number  of  deaths  it 
announced  among  our  friends  and  acquaintances.  Mrs.  Whitney,  Walter  Stetson, 
Mrs.  Hopkins,  Georgie  McNear,  Cora  Otis  Wyman,  Rosina  O'Connor  and  Charley 
Felton.      How  much  we  shall  miss  some  of  them  w^hen  we   get  back  I 

NAPLES,  FRIDAY,  April  2,  1920. 
Today  we  motored  down  to  Pompeii  with  Ettore  Gia,  our  guide.  Naples 
is  paved  with  great  big  stone  blocks,  more  than  a  foot  square.  Nothing  has  been 
done  to  this  pavement  since  the  war  and  it  is  in  a  frightful  state  for  motoring, 
right  down  to  Pompeii.  We  were  shaken  as  a  terrier  shakes  a  rat  and  were  glad 
to  dismiss  the  motor  at  destination  (at  full  pay)  and  go  back  by  train.  There  was 
nothing  new  in  Pompeii — there  has  not  been  for  two  thousand  years — so  I  will 
merely  say  that  we  enjoyed  revisiting  it. 

SATURDAY  AND  SUNDAY,  April  3-4,   1920. 

We  decided  to  take  the  drive  from  Naples  by  way  of  Pompeii  and  La  Cava 
to  the  coast  at  Vietri,  on  the  bay  of  Salerno,  and,  following  the  coast  back, 
proceed  via  Amalfi  to  Sorrento  for  the  night.  The  next  morning  by  steamer 
to  Capri  and  the  Blue  Grotto,  returning  to  Naples  that  afternoon. 

Warned  by  our  experience  of  the  day  before,  we  took  the  train  beyond 
Pompeii  to  Nocera,  where  the  paved  blocks  end,  and  had  the  motor  meet  us 
there.  What  w^as  our  disgust  to  find  that  the  dirt  roads  were  also  so  neglected 
»s  to  be  fully  as  bad  as  the  pavement,  with  the  added  disadvantage  of  blinding 
dust.  We  would  have  given  a  good  deal  to  have  been  able  to  turn  back  or  go 
on  by  train,  but  we  bounced  along,  cursing  the  guide  for  not  having  warned  us. 
We  could  not  fix  our  attention  on,  much  less  enjoy,  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
drives  in  Italy.  This  continued  until  we  reached  Amalfi,  where  we  had  lunch  in 
the  hotel  of  the  old  Capuchin  Convent,  150  feet  up  on  the  sheer  bluff  above  the 
road.      Nellie  was  carried  up  in  a  chair  by  porters. 

The  lunch  was  good,  the  Marsala  wine  was  good,  the  view  was  a  dream 
from  the  terrace,  canopied  by  the  grapes  and  lemons  grown  on  the  trellis  over- 
head, so  that  w^e  forgot  our  discomforts  and  lived  in  the  enjoyment  of  the 
moment. 

From  Amalfi  to  Sorrento  the  road  had  been  worked  and  was  much  better, 
so  we  were  able  to  thoroughly  appreciate  the  succession  of  beautiful  view^s  of 
sea  and  land.  We  reached  the  Tramontano  Hotel  at  Sorrento  about  four  o'clock 
and  were  given  a  room  looking  across  the  Bay  of  Naples,  at  the  city,  with  Capri 


140 

on  the  left;  Vesuvius  smoking  on  the  right;  and  the  waters  of  the  Bay  lapping; 
the  bottom  of  the  sheer  rock  cliff  on  which  the  hotel  stands,  150  feet  straight 
down  below  our  balcony.  Fulton  Cutting  stopped  six  months  at  this  hotel  a 
generation  ago,  when  Bayard  was  a  little  boy,  and  he  has  twice  given  generously 
to  the  town  for  civic  purposes.  We  had  a  letter  from  him  to  Tramontano,  the 
same  proprietor,  when  we  were  here  seventeen  years  ago,  and  the  proprietor 
hardly  seemed  to  have  aged  at  all. 

We  had  time  for  a  round  of  the  shops,  but  the  inlaid  wood  does  not  appeal 
to  us  as  it  did.  In  the  evening  we  saw  the  Tarantella  danced,  the  same  as  we 
did  seventeen  years  ago,  and  some  of  the  women  looked  like  the  same  performers. 

In  the  morning  we  boarded  the  steamer  coming  over  from  Naples,  to  Capri. 
There  we  took  a  row  boat  and  visited  the  Blue  Grotto,  returning  to  the  town  for 
lunch.  After  lunch  a  drive  up  the  road  cut  out  of  the  cliff  to  Anacapri,  perched 
on  the  very  top  of  the  hill.  Then  back  to  the  steamer  and  reached  the  hotel  in 
Naples  by  half  past  six. 

NAPLES,  MONDAY.  April  5,    1920. 
Cloudy    and    threatening.       In    the    forenoon    we    went    to    some    shops    and 
Nellie  bought  some  very  cheap  gloves.      After  lunch  she  rested  and  had  her  hair 
washed,    while   I   went   with   the    guide    to   the   Aquarium   and   came   back   in   the 
rain.     The  museum  was  closed  for  the  afternoon. 

NAPLES.  TUESDAY.  April  6.    1920. 

Owing  to  the  shortage  of  coal,  the  train  service  in  Italy  (Government  ow^ner- 
ship)  has  been  cut  down  to  such  a  point  that  a  large  proportion  of  the  passengers 
cannot  find  seats.  We  took  the  10:00  a.  m.  train  and  our  guide  was  sent  down 
to  the  station  at  7:30  to  board  the  train  as  soon  as  it  was  made  up,  place  some 
hand  bags  on  our  two  seats,  and  stand  by  until  we  arrived,  to  see  that  these  were 
not  removed  and  our  claims  "jumped".  Many  passengers,  including  women, 
stood  in  the  corridors  or  sat  on  their  baggage  for  the  five  hours  from  Naples  to 
Rome. 

The  country  looked  very  green  and  attractive.  The  fruit  trees  here  are 
just  in  blossom  and  the  vines  putting  out  their  first  leaves.  With  lunch  and 
reading  of  the  Argonauts,   the  time  passed  quickly. 

We  had  telegraphed  through  the  Excelsior  in  Naples,  to  the  Excelsior  in 
Rome,  under  the  same  management,  and  had  received  confirmation  of  our 
reservation  of  a  double  room  and  bath.  On  arrival  the  clerk  in  charge  knew 
nothing  about  it  and  had  nothing  that  he  could  give  us.  The  manager  was  out, 
so  we  were  sent  to  a  small  single  bedded  maid's  room  to  await  his  return  at 
7:00  p.  m.  We  killed  time  by  driving  to  the  Pincio  and  along  the  Corso.  etc.. 
in  a  one  horse  taxi.  The  depreciation  in  money  has  been  worked  out  in  the  taxi 
business  by  paying  double  the  registered  fare,  plus  a  tip  that  is  subject  to  con- 
troversy. 

On  returning  from  our  drive,  we  killed  time  again  by  taking  tea  and  noticed 
much  less  crowd  and  animation  than  when  Ruth  used  to  come  to  this  hotel  seven 
years  ago  for  tea  and  dancing.     This  was  confirmed  later  by  Mr.  Iddings. 

At  seven  o'clock  the  manager  returned  and  explained:  First,  that  our 
name  was  garbled  in  the  telegram.  This  was  so  obviously  immaterial  that  he 
immediately  shifted  his  ground  to:  Second,  that  he  had  misunderstood  the 
Naples  telegram  and  thought  it  referred  to  a  reservation  he  had  made  for  Naples. 
From  this  he  slid  in  the  most  approved  baseball  style  to:  Third,  that,  as  I  knew, 
the  Premier   of  Austria   was  arriving  with   his  suite   on   an   official  visit  and   the 


141 

Italian  government  had  commandeered  a  whole  floor  of  his  hotel;  but  for  this 
I  would  have  gotten  just  what  I  wanted.  It  reminded  me  of  the  famous  Kettle 
case  in  Arkansas,  where  a  nian  sued  his  neighbor  for  damage  done  to  a  kettle. 
The  accused  had  an  impregnable  defense,  proving  by  three  separate  witnesses: 
First,  that  he  had  never  borrowed  the  kettle:  Second,  that  he  had  returned  it 
intact,   and:    Third,   that  it  was  cracked  when  he  borrowed  it. 

The  upshot  of  my  interview^  w^as  that  he  found  a  room  w^ith  two  beds  but 
no  bath.  On  reporting  back  to  Nellie,  she  thought  that  she  would  try  her  hand. 
So  we  went  back  and  she  told  the  manager  that  she  must  have  a  bath;  that  he 
had  kept  her  hanging  around  all  day  until  she  felt  sick  and  he  had  to  accom- 
modate her.  He  retired  for  a  moment  into  his  private  den  and  emerged  to  say 
that,  he  had  one  of  the  best  rooms  in  the  house  with  a  bath  that  had  been 
promised  to  some  people,  who  should  have  arrived  earlier  in  the  day.  That  he 
would  give  it  to  us  and  the  other  people,  when  they  arrived,  must  take  the  con- 
sequences of  their  delay.  So  we  have  an  excellent  room,  a  little  too  crowded 
by  our  multitudinous  baggage,  but  otherwise  satisfactory.  Price,  85  lire  plus 
1  0  for  the  usual  light  and  potential  heat.  Nellie  goes  on  the  principle  that  hotel 
keepers  always  keep  something  good  up  their  sleeves,  and  this  time  she  was  right. 

ROME,  WEDNESDAY,  April  7,    1920. 

We  took  it  easily  today.  Went  to  Cook's  and  drew  money.  No  mail.  We 
€xpected  to  hear  from  the  Scotch  maid.  To  the  American  Consulate  to  look 
for  Carrie  Green's  address.  She  was  registered  as  at  the  Boston  Hotel  but  we 
found  that  she  had  left  there  two  years  ago.  Mrs.  Iddings  does  not  know  any- 
thing as  to  her  whereabouts.  Had  my  beard  trimmed.  The  restaurant  here  is 
good   but    expensive    compared    with   what    we    have   paid   before    in    Italy. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  the  Iddings  called.  Very  cordial  and  we  are  to  dine 
with  them  next  Monday.  Betty  and  child  are  at  some  Springs  neaj  Reggio,  in 
the  direction  of  Spezzia. 

There    is    good    music    but    little    animation    or    dancing.       Mrs.    Iddings    says 
however  that  there  is  much  more  going  on  now  than  last  winter. 
Mailed  at  Rome,    April    7,    1920. 
Received  at  San  Francisco,   May   5,    1920. 

ROME.  THURSDAY,  April  8,   1920. 

Rome  is  so  vast.  It  is  so  filled  with  wonderful  things  to  visit  and  study, 
that  as  we  read  of  them  in  the  guide  book  it  produces  a  feeling  of  helplessness 
^8  to  where  to  begin  and  what  to  choose.  Of  course  we  have  been  here  three 
times  before  and  Nellie  remembers  wonderfully  w^hat  she  has  seen,  but  not  so 
with  me,  outside  of  a  few  salient  points.  Then  again,  as  regards  the  diary,  to 
try  to  describe  even  what  we  do  see  would  be  a  herculean  task,  like  trying  to 
write  a  guide  book  over  again.  Besides,  most  of  those  to  whom  this  diary  is 
destined  have  been  here  themselves.  So,  outside  of  mentioning  a  few  names 
here  and  there,  I  will  confine  my  diary  for  Rome,  and  for  Europe  generally,  to  a 
short  description  of  our  daily  personal  routine.  For  instance,  w^e  went  to  St. 
Peter's  today.  I  think  I  have  mentioned  before  in  this  diary  that  the  beautiful 
things  of  nature  generally  appeal  to  me  more  than  the  creations  of  man.  But 
St.  Peter's  is  an  exception.  Its  mixture  of  grandeur,  beauty  and  association, 
makes  me  thrill  when  I  enter  its  doors,  as  few  things  have  ever  done.  It  so 
happens  that  this  is  the  first  time  we  were  shown  the  wonderful  treasures  in 
jewels  and  vestments  contained  in  the  Sacristy. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Iddings  happened  in  for  a  moment,  and  Mrs.  Iddings  arranged 
to  call  for  us  tomorrow  and  drive  us  around  the  city  in  her  automobile. 


142 

ROME.  FRIDAY,  April  9.  1920. 
Exchange  keeps  going  against  Italy  and  is  today  22  lire  for  a  dollar.  It  is 
a  terrible  condition  of  affairs  for  this  country  as  there  are  some  things,  like  coal 
and  raw  materials,  that  she  must  import  and  the  prices  of  the  resultant 
manufactured  products  are  absolutely  out  of  proportion  with  the  purchasing 
power  of  the  natives,  whose  incomes  lag  far  behind  the  rate  of  depreciation  of 
their  money.  The  accompanying  discontent  leads  here,  as  elsewhere,  to  strikes 
and  the  diminution  of  production,  or  in  exactly  the  opposite  direction  from  w^here 
the   remedy  lies. 

We  had  a  nice  drive  with  Mrs.  Iddings,  our  final  objective  being  the  Doria 
Gardens  on  the  Janiculum  hill,  where  also  the  large  statue  of  Garibaldi  stands. 
On  the  way  we  looked  into  the  American  College,  but  when  we  arrived  at  the 
gates  of  the  Doria  Gardens,  we  found  them  closed  owing  to  mourning  in  the 
family. 

We  returned  by  St.  Peter's  Square  to  Latour's  Tea  Shop,  where  Mr.  Iddings 
met  us.  They  have  a  closed  Fiat  car,  bought  before  the  war,  which  looks  and 
runs  very  well.  They  are  rationed  on  gasoline,  or  benzine  as  they  call  it,  and 
have  barely  enough  to  get  around  the  town,  but  not  enough  to  take  any  tours 
out  of  the  city. 

We  dine  very  late,  about  eight  thirty,  follow^ing  the  usual  custom  of  the 
Country,  and  just  as  we  were  getting  through  dinner,  Lillie  Martin  and  three 
men  came  in  and  sat  at  an  adjoining  table.  She  did  not  see  us,  or  at  least  did  not 
show  it  if  she  did.  I  think  that  one  of  the  men  was  the  Duke  of  Mecklenburg- 
Schwerin.      On  a  register  in  the  hall  we  saw  that  she  was  stopping  at  this  hotel. 

One  of  the  attaches  of  the  American  Embassy  since  told  Nellie  that  she 
has  been  here  since  last  September,  trying  to  get  from  the  Pope  the  annulment 
of  the  Duke's  marriage,  which  he  has  already  broken  by  a  civil  divorce.  She 
had  been  here  to  try  this  before,  but  one  of  the  obstacles  was  that  he  could  not 
come  here  in  person  because  of  being  an  alien  enemy  of  Italy.  He  has  now 
obtained  permission  to  come  into  the  country.  She  told  Mr.  Crosby,  the  attachcK 
that  she  now  felt  confident  of  getting  the  annulment. 

No   news  from   the   Scotch  maid. 

ROME,  SATURDAY,  April  10,   1920. 

Today  we  took  an  automobile  and  a  guide  from  Cook's  and  made  a  detailed 
round  of  the  city,  omitting  as  far  as  possible  the  places  where  we  had  driven 
with  Mrs.  Iddings.  We  saw  the  two  Forums,  the  Colosseum  and  several  of  the 
principal  churches  and  monuments. 

On  asking  the  guide  his  name,  he  said  it  was  Piergentile,  and  he  turned 
out  to  be  the  son  of  the  guide  that  Mr.  Stetson  and  Harry  had  in  Rome,  and 
that  we  also  took  on  their  recommendation  in  1903.  We  liked  him  better  than 
we  did  his  father,  who  died  fifteen  years  ago,  paralized.  We  had  thought  he  was 
partially   in   that   condition   from   alcohol   when   we   knew   him. 

ROME,  SUNDAY,  April  11.   1920. 

The  weather  since  our  arrival  has  been  very  fine  and  warmer  than  in  Sicily 
or  Naples.  Today  however  it  was  raining  steadily  when  we  got  up  and  it  con- 
tinued off  and  on  most  of  the  day. 

We  took  a  cab  in  the  forenoon  and  went  to  the  Art  Gallery  in  the  Borghese 
Palace,  now  the  property  of  the  State.  We  saw  all  of  our  old  favorites,  including 
the  statues  of  Pauline  Bonaparte,  Apollo  and  Daphne,  etc.  Also  the  paintings, 
some  of  w^hich  we  love  so  well. 


!43 

Then  we  re-took  our  cab  and  went  to  the  National  Gallery  just  outside  the 
Borghese  gardens  and  containing  modern  paintings.  We  enjoyed  these  very 
much.  I  am  one  of  the  Philistines  who,  outside  of  the  very  great  painters  of  the 
past,  prefer  modern  art.  I  except  the  impressionists,  futurists,  cubists  and 
such  trash. 

After  lunch  we  looked  at  two  rooms  and  bath  on  the  fourth  floor  that  had 
been  vacated  and  we  moved  into  them. 

After  dinner  we  watched  the  dancing.  The  Italian  women  wear  black  a 
great  deal,  more  than  half  of  the  dancers  being  in  that  color.  The  dances  are 
very  short  and  there  is  no  applause  for  an  encore.  There  w^ere  all  of  the 
different  varieties  of  "rag"  and  the  dancing  was  very  good.  Nothing  that  could 
call  for  unfavorable  comment  in  San  Francisco.  The  dresses  however  were 
lower  above  and  shorter  below  than  with  us.  One  woman  in  black,  w^ho  looked 
to  me  like  a  professional,  showed  her  legs  literally  almost  up  to  her  knees,  and 
she  had  no  reason  to  be  proud  of  them  either — for  such  pipe  stems  w^ould  be 
hard  to  duplicate.  Another  woman  in  black,  very  pretty  and  ladylike  otherwise, 
had  her  corsage  cut  so  very  much  below  her  arms,  both  front  and  back  and 
sides,  that  her  partner  could  not  find  enough  dress  material  in  the  back  to  rest 
his  whole  hand,  w^hich  was  partly  on  her  skin.  She  was  not  an  Italian,  but 
looked  like  an  American.      We  are  told  that  in  Paris  it  is  even  worse,   or  better. 

ROME,  MONDAY,  April  12.  1920. 
In  the  morning  down  to  Cook's  and  another  bank,  to  get  the  rate  of  ex- 
change, which  was  24.85  lire  to  the  dollar.  When  it  gets  to  25  we  are  going 
to  draw  our  estimated  requirements  for  all  we  will  need  in  Italy.  We  also  got 
a  letter  from  the  Scotch  maid  and  thereby  hangs  a  tale.  It  is  a  "horse"  on  Nellie, 
but  too   good  to   keep  dark. 

Miss  Hill  of  Taormina,  who  recommended  this  maid,  telegraphed  her  our 
offer  in  which  she  described  Nellie  as  "Mrs.  Oxnard  nice  elderly  American  lady". 
The  "elderly"  was  garbled  into  "eleverly"  and  in  Naples  at  Cook's  we  got  a 
telegram  from  her  addressed  to  "Mrs.  Oxnard  Nice  Eleverly",  saying  that  she 
w^as  writing  to  us  care  of  Cook's,  Rome.  In  spite  of  this  fact,  w^hich  should 
have  put  us  on  our  guard,  w^e  kept  asking  here  only  for  mail  for  "Oxnard"  and 
got  nothing. 

This  morning  however,  Nellie  took  the  letter  clerk  into  her  confidence  and 
told  her  story,  whereupon  she  reached  into  the  "E"  case  and  pulled  out  a  letter 
from  Scotland  for  "Mrs.  Oxnard  Nice  Eleverly". 

Miss  Hill's  telegram  was  so  obscure  that  we  have  had  to  begin  negotiations 
all  over  again. 

On  Saturday  we  were  delighted  to  receive  the  cable  that  Marie  Louise  was 
coming  out  with  Adeline.  We  know  what  a  sacrifice  this  must  be  for  Sallie, 
about  whose  illness  we  were  not  aware  when  we  urged  her  to  let  Marie  Louise 
come  to  us.  The  cable  says  nothing  about  Sallie  herself  and  as  we  had  cabled 
her  for  new^  developments,  if  any,  we  feel  somewhat  reassured. 

Last  Friday  we  called  at  the  Embassy  in  accordance  with  Henry's  cable.  I 
was  received  by  Mr.  Crosby,  first  Secretary,  who  regretted  that  Mr.  Jay  was  at 
the  foreign  office.  They  had  been  expecting  us  in  accordance  with  Admiral 
Grayson's  cable.  He  was  exceedingly  polite  and  cordial.  In  accordance  with 
Mr.  Idding's  advice  we  also  left  cards  for  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jay  at  their  residence 
that  afternoon,  but  before  we  could  do  so  we  received  a  most  cordial  note  irom 
Mrs.  Jay,  asking  us  to  lunch,  also  on  Monday.  So  we  have  this  and  the  Iddings* 
dinner  for  the  same  day   (today). 


144 

The  Jay  lunch  was  quite  a  large  affair  (about  sixteen)  and  I  enjoyed  it.  I 
was  seated  between  Mrs.  Busser  and  a  Miss  Kent  of  New  York,  travelling  with 
General  Fitzgerald  and  daughter.  He  sat  on  Mrs.  Jay's  right,  but  she  made  the 
conversation  somewhat  general  at  our  end  of  the  table.  Mrs.  Jay  is  a  most 
charming  woman,  with  a  beautiful  face  and  figure  and  a  great  deal  of  personal 
magnetism.  She  was  a  Miss  McCook,  a  niece  of  Mr.  Charley  Alexander,  and  so 
knows  all  the  California  Crocker  connections  well.  The  first  wife  of  Malcolm 
Whitman  was  her  sister.  Mr.  Jay  is  a  fine  looking  man  but  speaks  with  a  slight 
lisp.  He  was  Consul  General  at  Cairo,  but  this  being  considered  like  a  minor 
embassy  and  consequently  a  political  job,  he  was  fired  by  Bryan.  As  he  did 
not  want  to  get  out  of  the  diplomatic  service  he  received,  through  Grayson,  the 
post  of  Councillor  of  the  Embassy  at  Rome.  Either  he  or  she  must  be  a  person 
of  means.  Mr.  Scott,  Lady  Sibyl  Scott  (formerly  Mrs.  Bayard  Cutting,  Jr.)  and 
her  daughter  Miss  Cutting,  were  invited,  but  the  two  latter  went  North  and  only 
Mr.  Scott  was  present.  I  did  not  know  it  till  later  and  so  did  not  notice  him 
particularly.  Mrs.  Jay  speaks  well  of  him  but  evidently  does  not  admire  Lady 
Sibyl. 

Mrs.  Busser,  spoken  of  above,  is  the  wife  of  the  American  Consul  at  Trieste, 
here  on  a  vacation  to  escape  the  general  strike  that  makes  life  miserable  there 
just  now.  Her  three  children  are  at  school  in  England.  Her  husband  could 
not  get  away.  She  did  a  great  deal  of  Red  Cross  work  during  the  w^ar;  first  at 
Trieste,  until  we  went  to  war  with  Austria;  then  at  Barcelona;  then  in  Norway 
and  now  again  in  Trieste.  She  had  six  hundred  children  under  her  care.  She 
criticized  the  attitude  of  the  English  women  toward  Red  Cross  work. 

It  is  a  great  disappointment  to  me  that  during  a  lunch  or  dinner  it  is  im- 
possible to  learn  much  from  these  people  who  have  been  close  to  the  war.  They 
speak  very  frankly.  For  instance,  Mrs.  Jay  criticizes  the  "shameful  waste"  of 
Red  Cross  money  on  nonessentials,  like  a  very  expensive  staff  to  teach  young 
Italians  to  play  baseball,  football  and  other  sports.  It  is  very  plain  that  they  are 
not  in  sympathy  with  the  American  attitude  toward  participation  in  after  war 
world  problems.  They  are  at  sea  as  to  the  drift  that  social  conditions  in  Europe 
will  take.  I  am  now  speaking  of  Mrs.  Jay  and  Mrs.  Busser.  I  have  not  had  a 
chance  to  speak  with  the  men. 

In  the  evening  we  went  to  the  Iddings  dinner  at  half  past  eight.  The 
following  is  the  list  of  the  other  guests.  Senator  and  Donna  Clarice  Frascara 
(daughter  of  Prince  Orsini)  ;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Peter  Augustus  Jay  (Charge  d* 
Affaires  American  Embassy)  ;  Minister  of  Chili  and  Madame  Villegas;  Marchese 
and  Marchesa  Tacoli;  Don  Francesco  and  Donna  Beatrice  Theodoli;  Marchesa 
di  Viti  di  Marco;    Colonel  Eager,  Military  Attache'  American  Embassy. 

This  list  would  indicate  that  the  Iddings  have  a  very  good  position  here 
and  this  has  been  confirmed  to  us  by  others.  I  sat  between  Donna  Beatrice 
Theodoli  and  the  Marchesa  Tacoli.  The  former  w^as  a  Miss  Thaw,  cousin  of 
Harry,  and  was  brought  up  at  Santa  Barbara,  where  she  lived  as  a  young  girl 
for  eleven  years.  The  latter  is  partly  Egyptian,  partly  Italian  and  partly  Austrian 
and  was  suspected  of  pro-German  sympathies  during  the  war.  This  accusation 
is  made  quite  frequently  against  some  of  the  members  of  the  clerical  party. 

The  naval  attache*  here  is  Captain  Joseph  Mason  Reeves,  who  was  in 
command  of  the  Oregon  during  our  fair.  Through  Pritchard  we  were  invited  to 
dine  on  the  Oregon  and  Nellie  went.  Mrs.  Reeves  greeted  Nellie  as  a  long  lost 
friend  and  is  going  to  take  us  to  Tivoli  in  her  husband's  government  motor. 


145 

ROME.  TUESDAY.  April  13.  1920. 
Today  the  exchange  market  took  a  plunge  against  the  lira  and  Cook's  offered 
us  25|/2  for  a  dollar.  We  drew  what  we  estimate  will  amply  cover  all  expenses 
and  all  the  purchases  we  may  make  in  Italy.  As  far  as  expenses  go,  we  are  living 
cheaper  in  Italy  than  anywhere  since  we  started  from  home.  We  are  paying 
for  these  two  rooms  125  lire,  or  $5.00  per  day.  Our  meals  are  about  150  lire 
or  $6.00.  We  take  a  cab  and  drive  around,  seemingly  for  hours,  and  the  register 
will  be.  say,  10  lire.  We  pay  double  this,  or  20  lire,  and  it  amounts  to  80  cents. 
Compare  this  with  the  Orient,  where  we  were  travelling  more  rapidly  and  sight- 
seeing more  energetically,  and  where  consequently  our  expenses  w^ere  $60.00 
per  day  and  upwards.  An  American,  with  a  fixed  income  and  without  any  busi- 
ness, can  live  better  by  coming  here  than  any  place  I  can  think  of.  How  long  it 
will  last  without  an  explosion   is   the   question. 

Just  at  present,  however,  we  learn  that  Americans  are  extremely  unpopular, 
though  of  course  we  are  not  sufficiently  in  touch  with  Italians  to  feel  it  per- 
sonally. 

When  Wilson  came  to  Italy,  in  the  beginning  of  his  European  adventure,  he 
was  taken  at  the  par  value  of  his  many  orations  and  he  was  almost  deified.  As 
one  man  put  it  to  me,  the  people  were  saying;  "Blessed  be  the  mother  that  bore 
him".  But  later  on,  the  day  after  a  certain  speech  of  his  in  which  he  set  himself 
against  Italian  aspirations  in  the  Adriatic,  there  w^as  none  so  mean  as  to  do  him 
reverence.  The  American  representatives  at  the  Embassy  and  elsewhere  were 
absolutely  boycotted.  When  Ambassador  Page  took  the  train  from  Rome  on  a 
leave  of  absence,  not  a  single  representative  Italian  was  at  the  station  to  say 
goodbye,  contrary  to  universal  custom. 

The  new  Ambassador,  Mr,  Underwood  Johnson,  is  expected  here  daily  and 
it  is  a  very  debatable  question  as  to  how  he  will  be  received. 

We  continued  sight  seeing  in  a  very  leisurely  way  and  went  through  the 
so-called  rag  market,  a  cheap  fair  held  once  a  week,  and  there  met  Mrs.  Jay. 

Later  in  the  day,  Nellie  went  to  her  house  at  tea  time,  to  meet  a  lot  of 
women  interested  in  Y.  W.  C.  A.  work  and  had  a  pleasant  time.  In  the  evening 
we  went  out  for  dinner,  for  the  second  time,  to  an  Italian  restaurant,  San  Carlo, 
on  the  Corso.  The  first  time  we  had  enjoyed  it  very  much  but  this  time  we 
were    disappointed. 

ROME,  WEDNESDAY,  April  14,  1920. 
At  lunch,  Lillie  Martin  came  in  and  sat  at  the  table  right  next  to  us.  She 
came  over  and  spoke  a  few  words,  expressing  astonishment  at  seeing  us.  She  is 
very  anxious  to  have  a  long  talk  and  hear  all  the  San  Francisco  news.  In  the 
afternoon  we  journeyed  out  to  "St.  Paul's  outside  the  walls",  and  also  made  our 
dinner  call  on  the  Iddings.  We  invited  them  to  lunch  with  us  on  Friday  and 
they  accepted.  We  had  already  invited  the  Jays  but  they  had  an  engagement. 
Neither  could  they  come  to  dinner  that  day  as  the  new  Ambassador  arrives  that 
night  and  they  must  go  to  meet  him. 

ROME,  THURSDAY.  April  15.  1920. 
We  spent  the  morning  in  the  Vatican  museum  of  sculpture  and  the  gardens^ 
After  lunch  we  went  with  Captain  and  Mrs.  Reeves  and  their  eleven-year-old  boy 
to  Tivoli  and  the  Villa  d'Este.  The  government  furnishes  the  Captain  with  a 
Cadillac  motor,  which,  though  it  was  smashed  up  badly  a  few  months  ago  by  a 
joy  rider  who  had  taken  it  out  without  authority,  has  been  thoroughly  repaired 
and  gives  first  class  service.      In  his  opinion  there   is  no   Italian   car  made  today 


146 

that  compares  favorably  with  the  Cadillac,  and  he  seems  to  be  familiar  with 
motors  miechanically.  The  Italian  manufacturers  cannot  get  either  the  same 
quality  of  steel  or  mechanics  as  before  the  war. 

The  ride  out  to  Tivoli  through  the  Roman  Campagna,  though  rough,  is  very 
enjoyable.  The  Villa  with  its  many  fountains  and  attractive  gardens  was  well 
worth  revisiting. 

Captain  Reeves  is  a  well  informed  man,  very  courteous,  and  I  enjoyed  sitting 
on  the  front  seat  and  talking  with  him  as  he  drove  the  car.  Nellie  also  enjoyed 
her  afternoon  with  Mrs.  Reeves.  We  have  invited  them  to  lunch  tomorrow. 
They  had  tea  with  us  in  the  hotel  and  there  we  met  again  Lillie  Martin  and 
the  Duke. 

ROME,  FRIDAY.  April   16.   1920. 

In  the  morning  we  went  to  the  Vatican  again.  This  time  to  the  Stanze  of 
Ra£Fael  and  to  the  Sistine  Chapel.  On  the  way  back  we  stopped  at  the  Farnesina 
Gallery  to  see  the  frescoes  of  the  Myth  of  Psyche.  The  guide  book  says  of  the 
ceiling  paintings  in  the  Sistine  Chapel:  "Whether  these  paintings  or  those  of 
Raffael  in  the  Stanze  (rooms)  are  the  grandest  creations  of  modern  art  has  long 
been  a  matter  of  dispute."  If  I  were  a  lawyer  I  could  write  a  brief  on  either  side, 
so  I  will  not  throw  the  weight  of  my  authority  in  the  balance  for  or  against 
either  one. 

We  got  back  to  the  hotel  in  good  time  for  lunch,  which  was  very  creditable. 
Our  guests,  Iddings  and  Reeves,  seemed  to  enjoy  it,  although  Captain  Reeves  is  a 
teetotaler  and  his  wife  nearly  so. 

We  received  an  answer  from  the  Hotel  Italie,  Florence,  saying  that  they 
could  not  give  us  two  rooms,  but  would  reserve  a  double  room  and  bath. 

Mr.  Crosby  of  the  Embassy  called  while  Nellie  was  out  and  I  did  not  go 
down.      Mrs.  Jay  called  later  and  Nellie   received  her. 


MRS.N.S.O. 

In  reading  over  the  diary  I  see  that  Bob  forgot  to  mentio7i  our  visit,  while  in  the 
Vatican,  to  the  wo7iderful  vestments,  robes,  laces,  tiaras — worn  by  the  Popes — present 
and  past.  We  had  never  seen  them  before  and  they  certainly  were  most  interesting 
and  beautiful.  Some  of  the  embroidery  on  handkerchiefs  was  so  fine  it  was  like  a 
cobweb,  and  a  lace  robe  made  by  some  Spanish  devotees  took  nine  years  to  complete, 
always  working  on  their  knees,  and  was  presented  to  Pope  Leo  Kill. 

Aftr  our  lunch  today  I  went  shopping  with  Mrs.  Reeves  but  did  not  see  anything 
to  tempt  me.  I  am  looking  forward  to  Florence  for  I  know  everything  is  attractive 
there. 

Our  visit  here  is  drawing  to  a  close  and  we  have  certainly  had  a  delightful  time. 
Mrs.  Jay  has  just  called  and  I  must  add  again  how  much  I  like  her;  she  is  charm' 
ing,  tactful,  intelligent  and  natural,  and  no  one  could  have  been  nicer  to  us  than 
she  has  been. 


Mailed  at  Rome.  April    16.    1920. 
Received  at  San  Franciso,  May   18,    1920. 

ROME.  SATURDAY,  April   17,   1920. 
We  received  this  week  a  nice  letter  from  Marie  Louise,  saying  that  she  saw 
no  hope  of  getting  over,  and  we  can  imagine  her  delight  at  the  sudden  change 
in  her  prospects.     We  are  just  as  pleased  as  she  is. 


!47 

I  also  got  a  very  interesting  letter  of  February  24th  from  Her  rod,  sum- 
marizing results  since  I  left  home.  Also  a  letter  from  Henry  at  Falmouth,  Florida, 
oi  January  'I!>th. 

I  am  considerably  disappointed  at  the  material  reduction  in  the  estimates 
of  beets  for  California,  say  from  280,000  to  200,000  tons.  I  am  also  very  sorry 
to  lose  Frank  Johnson  after  so  long  and  intimate  an  association,  but  of  course  he 
has  his  own  future  and  that  of  his  family  to  provide  for  and  i  wish  him  a 
successful   career. 

In  the  afternoon  we  called  at  tea  time  on  the  Iddings  to  say  goodbye,  and 
found  that  it  was  quite  a  large  reception.  We  were  introduced  to  a  number  of 
people,  among  them  the  Russian  Embassador  of  the  old  regime,  who  says  that 
the  darkest  accounts  we  read  of  conditions  in  Russia  are  not  exaggerated. 

We  also  lunched  today  with  Lillie  Martin.  The  Duke  was  there  and  was 
very  courteous  and  amiable.  Conditions  in  Germany  from  his  standpoint,  I  mean 
the  downfall  of  autocracy,  are  hopeless  and  he  says  he  sees  no  prospect  of  a 
change  in  his  generation. 

We  went  to  the  movies  once  while  here  and  saw  a  spectacular  reproduction 
of  the  Sack  of  Rome,  under  Pope  Clement  VII.  The  reading  matter,  in  Italian, 
was  withdrawn  from  the  screen  too  quickly  for  me  to  follow  the  action  satis- 
factorily. There  was  the  usual  screen  portrayal  of  a  battle,  with  the  people 
running  aimlessly  and  madly  in  different  directions,  so  that  we  did  not  stay  to 
the  end. 

I  find,  just  aa  I  did  on  my  previous  visits  to  Italy,  that  I  can  generally  make 
out  the  sense  of  anything  I  see  written  or  printed  in  Italian,  owing  to  the 
similarity  of  many  words  to  the  French  and  Spanish,  but  when  it  comes  to  speak- 
ing myself  or  to  understanding  the  rapidly  spoken  language,  I  am  all  at  sea. 
I  also  find  that  while  Italian  is  pronounced,  and  also  phonetically  spelled,  like 
Spanish,  the  roots  from  which  the  words  are  derived  are  more  similar  to  French. 
In  other  words,  the  Moorish  domination  has  introduced  into  the  Spanish  language 
many  words  of  common  use,  entirely  unrelated  to  the  Latin.  Examples:  French, 
manger;  Italian,  mangiare;  Spanish,  comer.  French,  femme;  Italian,  femina; 
Spanish,  mujer. 

We  have  been  very  comfortable  here  since  we  changed  rooms,  and  we  have 
met  some  exceedingly  nice  people. 

FLORENCE,  SUNDAY,  April  18.  1920. 
We  started  for  Florence  by  the  7:45  train,  having  sent  a  boy  ahead  with 
pieces  of  hand  luggage  to  hold  seats  for  us.  This  proved  to  be  quite  unnecessary 
as  we  had  the  compartment  to  ourselves  most  of  the  way  to  Florence.  Railroad 
fares  have  recently  been  increased  sixty  percent,  and  in  addition  there  is  a 
further  twenty  percent  charged  on  Sundays,  which  probably  accounts  for  this 
fact.  Also,  the  Iddings  and  others  had  told  us  that  this  train  had  been  taken  off 
for  today,  and  if  this  impression  was  general  it  may  have  had  some  effect.  As  a 
matter  of  fact,  it  was  the  afternoon  train  for  Florence  that  was  taken  off,  but  for 
what  reason  neither  Cook's  nor  the  hotel  porter  could  tell  us. 

We  had  an  uneventful  trip;  no  diner,  so  we  bought  bread,  cheese,  sausage, 
wine  and  fruit  for  lunch  and  I  enjoyed  it.  The  roadbed  was  quite  smooth,  except 
in  spots,  and  the  country  beautiful  in  its  Spring  greenery.  We  followed  the 
valley  of  the  Tiber  northward,  with  picturesque  towns  perched  on  the  tops  of 
hills  along  the  line,  looking  very  medieval  and  fortress  like. 

We  arrived  about   3  :00   p.  m.   and  were  much  disappointed  to   find  that  the 


148 

Hotel  Italie  had  no  accommodations  but  had  located  us  at  the  Grand  Hotel,  under 
the  same  management  (Swiss).  Our  room  there  was  the  parlor  of  a  suite,  trans- 
formed into  a  bedroom  and  consequently  w^ithout  closet  room.  Worst  of  all, 
it  was  right  opposite  the  dam  over  w^hich  flows  the  Arno,  and  w^hen  w^e  opened 
the  window  it  sounded  like  going  into  a  railroad  station  where  a  locomotive  was 
blowing  off  steam.  So  we  decided  to  take  a  cab  and  go  to  the  Anglo-American 
Hotel  and  consult  Carrie  Green  as  to  where  we  could  get  better  accommodation. 
Meanwhile  we  took  the  room. 

Carrie  had  moved  ten  days  before  to  an  apartment,  so  we  w^ent  back  to  the 
hotel  and  there  found  a  note  from  her.  She  had  learned  of  our  coming  and  had 
just  called  in  time  to  see  us  driving  off.  Later  she  telephoned  and  arranged  to 
come  to  us  tomorrow  morning. 

FLORENCE,  MONDAY,  April  19,   1920. 

We  w^ere  tired  and  slept  w^ell  despite  the  noise.  Carrie  called  at  10:00  a.  m. 
looking  not  very  different  from  the  last  time  we  saw  her  in  Rome,  seven  years 
ago.  She  gave  such  an  unpromising  account  of  hotel  conditions  in  Florence  that 
we  decided  as  the  wisest  thing  to  stay  where  we  were,  trusting  to  the  promise  of 
the  Hotel  Manager  to  give  us  the  first  opportunity  for  better  rooms.  Then  we 
all  three  went  out,  Carrie  offering  to  do  anything  that  she  could  for  us  in  any 
way,  but  explaining  that  she  had  some  shopping  of  her  own  for  that  morning. 
So  we  soon  parted  company  after  making  an  engagement  for  the  next  morning. 

We  went  to  Setepassi's  jewelry  store  to  see  about  setting  some  of  the  stones 
Nellie  has  collected.  He  was  willing  to  do  a  ring  for  her  but  not  a  bracelet  of  the 
Ceylon  purchase,  claiming  that  he  had  only  very  few  w^orkmen  and  plenty  of  his 
ow^n  w^ork  for  them.  After  this  we  w^andered  over  the  old  streets,  looking  at  the 
attractive  shops,  and  postponing  the  museums  and  galleries  until  after  w^e  have 
decided  if  we  want  to  buy  anything.  This  in  order  to  give  time  for  making 
things  before  we  leave. 

FLORENCE,  TUESDAY,  April  20,    1920. 

We  went  out  with  Carrie  and  visited  some  shops  but  Nellie  can  do  better  by 
herself  when  it  comes  to  bargaining,  so  we  did  not  close  any  deals. 

The  Hotel  Manager  w^ill  have  for  us  today  an  apartment  of  sitting-room, 
two  bedrooms  and  bath  for  120  lire  (about  $6.00).  Although  this  is  more  room 
than  we  need,  we  have  taken  it.  It  also  fronts  on  the  Arno,  and  while  it  is  very 
noisy  when  the  windows  are  open,  strange  to  say  it  is  less  so  than  the  other, 
because  of  being  on  the  first  floor  instead  of  the  second. 

There  is  a  notice  pasted  up  in  the  hotel,  dated  April  1 0th,  saying  that  by 
agreement  between  the  association  of  Hotel  Managers  and  the  Union  of  Hotel 
Employees,  all  tips  are  abolished  and  in  lieu  thereof  an  additional  charge  of  1  5 
percent,  for  the  first  week  and  1  2  percent,  for  longer  periods,  will  be  made  on  the 
total  of  the  bill  for  distribution  among  the  employees.  I  asked  the  hotel  keeper 
about  it  and  he  said  it  had  been  forced  upon  them  by  the  Unions,  but  he  did  not 
think  it  would  last  long.  Of  course  it  is  wrong  in  principle  as  the  servants  get 
the  same  tip  whether  or  not  they  give  satisfactory  service.  I  have  talked  with 
some  people  who  approve  of  it  as  a  means  of  raising  the  wages  of  the  hotel 
servants,  who  are  here  wretchedly  underpaid. 

The  weather  is  rather  cold  and  threatening,  with  occasional  drizzles.  This 
is  bad  for  Florence,  where  the  distances  are  so  short  that  one  uses  cabs  very  much 
less  than  in  Rome.  The  cab  taximeter  starts  here,  the  same  as  in  Naples,  at 
70c  (about  3c  U.  S.  c'y)  instead  of  at  1  lira,  (4c  to  5c  according  to  exchange) 
as  in  Rome.      The  same  custom  prevails  of  doubling  the  taxi  rate  with  an  addi- 


149 

tional  tip,  but  even  so  the  saying — "The  rich,  they  ride  in  chaises;  the  poor, 
they  walk,  by  Jazes" — seems  inapplicable  to  Italy.  The  luxury  of  riding  in  cabs 
is  attained  cheaply  here.  It  reminds  me  of  a  lawyer  friend  who  said  that  he  con- 
sidered it  the  height  of  luxury  to  have  a  separate  pair  of  suspenders  for  each 
pair  of  pants.  I  w^as  repeating  this  to  another  legal  luminary  who  commented 
that,  if  such  were  the  case,  he  knew  many  members  of  the  legal  fraternity  who 
could  achieve  luxury  with  one  pair  of  suspenders. 

FLORENCE,  WEDNESDAY,  April  21,    1920. 

The  food  is  good  in  this  hotel — table  d'  hote — and  I  have  taught  the  very 
efficient  waiter  in  the  public  sitting  room  to  make  my  punches  most  satisfactorily. 
As  these  are  paid  for  in  cash  (5  lire  apiece)  and  do  not  go  on  the  bill,  I  give 
him  the  large  tip  of  10  percent  (1  lira)  each  time.  We  also  have  good  music 
betw^een  eight  and  ten  thirty — violin,  cello  and  piano.  After  the  music  we 
go  to  our  sitting  room  and  read.  So  w^e  go  to  bed  late  and  get  up  late.  In  the 
morning  we  make  a  short  round  of  shops  before  lunch  and  in  the  afternoon 
generally  visit  some  museum  or  gallery. 

I  have  bad  luck  here  about  getting  massage.  Carrie  is  looking  up  some  one 
for  me  but  has  not  yet  been  successful. 

This  afternoon  we  went  to  tea  at  the  apartment  of  Carrie  and  Mrs.  Erskine. 
She  is  a  Canadian,  whose  son  and  family  live  in  New  York  but  who  has  herself 
lived  in  Florence  for  many  years,  with  an  interregnum  of  several  years  during 
the  war,  when  she  left  here  to  visit  her  son  in  New  York  and  then  could  not 
get  passports  back.  It  is  her  apartment  and  is  very  attractively  furnished.  Carrie 
is  very  fortunate  to  have  the  opportunity  of  sharing  it  with  her.  The  partner- 
ship w^as  only  established  some  ten  days  ago. 

Carrie,  like  Mrs.  Jay,  only  more  so,  criticizes  the  financial  and  other  control 
of  the  American  Red  Cross  in  Italy,  for  which  she  worked  hard  in  Rome  several 
years.  She  also  says  that  social  conditions  in  Italy,  particularly  among  the  mili- 
tary officers,  were  very  much  demoralized  by  the  w^ar. 

At  the  tea,  and  specially  invited  to  meet  us,  were  old  Mr.  Eastwick  and  his 
daughter  Hulda.  The  old  gentleman  is  eighty-eight  years  old  but,  aside  from 
being  rather  deaf,  he  carries  his  years  wonderfully.  Hulda  was  most  amiable 
and  cordial.  Mr.  Eastwick  has  just  bought  an  apartment  in  one  of  the  best  parts 
of  the  city.  The  house,  on  the  Lungarno,  is  four  stories  high  with  four  apart- 
ments on  each  floor;  two  elevators  and  central  heating;  built  of  stone  of  course. 
He  has  chosen  the  fourth  floor  and  the  northerly  exposure  owing  to  the  heat 
in  summer.  This  seems  strange,  as  he  does  not  get  a  front  view  on  the  Arno 
and  Florence  is  too  hot  for  comfort  in  Summer  anyhow.  There  is  a  central 
association  of  the  apartment  owners  that  takes  care  of  community  matters.  He 
has  twelve  rooms.  He  says  it  has  not  what  in  America  are  called  modern  con- 
veniences but  Italian  servants  do  not  expect  this.  And  the  price  he  paid  was 
51,000  lirel  I  !  I  understood  him  to  say  that  he  drew  his  money  at  20  lire  to 
the  dollar,  which  would  make  the  cost,  $2,550.  It  seems  incredible.  Hurry  up 
everybody  and  come  over  to  settle  in  Florence,  if  you  want  to  own  a  palace  and 
live  cheaply.  With  interest,  taxes,  repairs,  etc.,  Mr.  Eastwick's  rent  is  $400.00 
per  year. 

FLORENCE,  THURSDAY,  April  22,    1920. 

Our  last  advices  from  San  Francisco  were  dated,  if  I  remember  right,  March 
15th  and  we  are  getting  very  hungry  for  news  from  home.  The  Credit  Lyonnais 
has  recently  forwarded  a  letter  from  Sicily,  so  that  we  are  unable  to  account  for 
the   delay  as  being   caused  by   the   railroad   strike   at   Turin,    which   is   the   usual 


150 

explanation  given.      I  suppose  that  a  lot  of  mail  will,  as  before,  come  all  together. 
We  continue  to  intersperse  sightseeing  and  shopping  in  moderate  doses. 

FLORENCE,   FRIDAY  AND  SATURDAY, 
April  23-24,    1920. 

Nothing  salient  to  report. 

FLORENCE,  SUNDAY,  April  25,   1920. 

Carrie  came  around  in  the  forenoon  and  we  visited  together  the  Pitti  Palace 
and  the  Boboli  Gardens,  both  interesting.  We  then  went  to  an  Italian  restaurant 
where  we  had  a  good  lunch,  but  with  such  poor  service  that  the  trouble  to  secure 
and  hold  a  waiter  at  last  became  ridiculous  and  we  treated  it  as  a  farce. 

In  the  afternoon  we  went  with  the  Eastwicks  to  visit  a  villa  on  the  slopes 
of  Fiesole  and  have  tea  with  the  owner,  an  elderly  Bostonian  widow,  Mrs. 
Richardson,  who  has  lived  here  for  a  great  many  years.  She  is  not  related  to 
Dr.  Richardson,  the  friend  of  the  Bartletts. 

The  place  is  beautifully  situated  and  the  view  of  the  valley  of  the  Arnc 
very  extensive.  As  Mrs.  Richardson  pointed  out  the  different  villas  within  view 
on  the  slope,  I  realized  that  they  had  almost  all  passed  into  the  hands  of  foreign- 
ers, mostly  English,  for  out  of  some  fifteen  or  twenty  names,  there  were  but  two 
Italian. 

By  the  way  the  villa  that  the  Eastwicks  have  rented  for  two  months  this 
summer,  (not  at  Fiesole)  belongs  to  Mrs.  Apthorpe,  nee  lasigi,  who  lives  there 
with  her  invalid  son,  but  is  now  on  a  short  visit  home  to  Boston. 

There  were  some  half  dozen  other  people  at  tea,  among  them  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Spaulding,  of  the  athletic  goods  firm,  and  w^hose  brother's  will  created  a  contest 
in  San  Diego,  in  connection  with  the  Theosophist  establishment.  Also  a  Mr. 
Heath  and  his  wife.  He  retired  from  the  lumber  business  in  the  South  and  now, 
in  order  to  interest  himself,  he  travels  around  Italy,  buying  curios  and  artistic 
things,  which  he  sends  to  a  nephew  at  home  to  dispose  of.  The  business  is  quite 
profitable  and  according  to  Mr.  Eastwick,  Mr.  Heath  only  takes  six  percent  on 
the  money  invested  and  leaves  the  profit  to  his  nephew.  There  w^as  also  an 
Italo-American  widow,  connected  in  some  w^ay  with  the  Oliver  Iselin  family, 
and  a  Russian  lady,  who  could  not  speak  of  conditions  in  her  country  without 
tears  in  her  eyes.  She  is  in  straightened  circumstances  and  has  had  no  com- 
munication w^ith  her  family  for  years. 

We  fortunately  had  a  fine  day  for  this  trip,  but  to  meet  a  few  people 
hurriedly  at  a  tea  is  not  my  idea  of  enjoyment.  The  one  subject  that  seemed 
to  bring  everybody  in  accord  was  disapprobation  of  Wilson. 

FLORENCE,  MONDAY,  April  26,    1920. 

We  had  rather  a  tiresome  day  as  we  got  hold  of  a  guide  that  would  not  skip 
the  less  interesting  objects.  We  had  looked  forward  to  seeing  again  the  won- 
derful tapestries  in  the  archeological  museum,  but  they  were  taken  down  during 
the  war  for  fear  of  damage  by  aeroplanes  and  have  not  yet  been  put  up  again. 

In  the  evening  Carrie  dined  quietly  with  us  and  listened  to  the  music  after- 
wards till  ten  o'clock. 

I  have  gotten  hold  of  a  very  good  masseuse,  Violetta  Carazza,  who  only 
charges  15  lire  (about  75  cents).  She  also  has  travelled  with  invalids  as  a  maid 
and  nurse.  We  have  offered  to  take  her  with  us  as  maid  and  to  do  massage  for 
me,  and  she  is  considering  it.  This  because  after  many  delays  we  finally  did  not 
get  the  Scotch  maid  recommended  by  Miss  Hill. 
Mailed  at  Florence,  April  26,  1920. 
Received  at  San  Francisco,   May   24,    1920. 


151 

FLORENCE.  TUESDAY  AND  WEDNESDAY, 
April  27-28,    1920. 

Nellie  is  very  much  interested  in  painted  Venetian  furniture,  and  she  was 
directed  by  Miss  Eastwick  to  a  manufacturer  who  makes  a  specialty  of  reproduc- 
ing it  in  imitation  of  the  antique.  He  says  frankly  that  his  work  is  all  imitation, 
which  he  sells  principally  to  other  dealers,  who  in  turn  may  or  may  not  pass  it 
on  to  customers  as  antique.  I  well  recollect  that  on  our  last  trip  to  Europe  we 
bought  a  Venetian  table  as  an  antique,  over  one  hundred  years  old  and  conse- 
quently free  from  duty,  but  on  arrival  in  San  Francisco  the  Custom  House  expert 
proved  to  me  that  it  was  modern  and  charged  me  duty.  However  this  man  has 
great  taste  and  his  prices  are  most  moderate,  so  Nellie  is  going  to  order  several 
pieces  from  him. 

I  called  with  Nellie  to  present  myself  to  the  American  Consul,  Mr.  Dorsey. 
He  is  a  very  recent  arrival,  having  spent  many  years  in  the  Orient,  which  he 
looks  back  upon  with  regret.     His  last  post  was  Shanghai. 

Today  (28th)  is  our  wedding  anniversary,  the  twenty-ninth,  (1891-1920) 
and  we  spent  it  quietly  together  until  evening,  when  we  gave  a  little  dinner  in 
celebration  at  the  hotel.  We  had  originally  invited  Mr.  and  Miss  Eastwick, 
Carrie,  and  her  partner  Mrs.  Erskine. 

Mr.  Eastwick  declined  on  account  of  age  but  Miss  Eastwick  accepted.  Mrs. 
Erskine  also  declined  as  she  has  to  live  on  a  very  strict  diet.  So  the  feast  was 
prepared  for  four  and  a  delicious  feast  it  was  too.  First,  the  most  delicious  hors 
d'oeuvres  1  have  tasted  in  a  long  time.  Then,  filets  of  sole  meuniere,  with  petits 
pois  a  la  frangaise.  After  this  a  capon  in  casserole,  with  bacon,  fonds 
d'artichauts,  potatoes  and  little  onions.  With  the  capon  a  lettuce  and  tomato 
salad,  dressed  by  myself.  For  desert,  an  omelette  soufflee  en  surprise,  that  is  to 
say,  with  a  center  of  ice  cream. 

In  the  way  of  liquids,  a  gin  and  rum  punch  in  lieu  of  cocktail,  then  a  glass 
of  sherry,  followed  by  Roederer  special.  We  then  adjourned  down  stairs  to  the 
music  room  for  coffee  and  liqueur. 

We  enjoyed  it  immensely  but  unfortunately,  through  some  misunderstand- 
ing as  yet  unexplained,  Miss  Eastwick  never  appeared.  We  waited  over  half 
an  hour  for  her,  then  tried  to  telephone  to  her  hotel,  an  almost  hopeless  under- 
taking in  Italy,  and  finally  had  to  give  her  up.  We  had  no  explanation  up  to 
early  next  morning. 

FLORENCE,  THURSDAY,  April  29,  1920. 

We  started  by  motor  for  Venice,  by  way  of  Bologna  and  Padua.  We  had 
invited  Carrie  Green  to  accompany  us  and  we  got  off  promptly  at  8:30  a.  m.  in 
a  very  comfortable  Fiat  open  car.  The  only  drawback  was  that,  like  most 
Italian  cars,  it  was  not  high  powered,  consequently  mufflers  cannot  be  closed 
and  this  causes  a  terrific  racket  going  up  hills. 

The  road  from  Florence  to  Bologna  (104  kilometers)  crosses  the  Apennines, 
the  highest  point  of  this  pass  being  903  meters,  about  3,000  feet.  From 
Bologna  to  Venice  via  Padua,  we  cross  the  fertile  valley  of  the  Po  River,  one  of 
the  garden  spots  of  Europe.  It  is  the  center  of  the  beet  sugar  industry  of  Italy, 
and  we  passed  several  factories  and  a  great  many  beet  fields.  The  beets  are  all 
very  young,  many  of  them  not  thinned  yet,  and  the  stands  were  generally  very 
good.  The  individual  fields  were  small  as  a  rule.  I  saw  no  evidence  of  irriga- 
tion being  practiced. 

We  stopped  for  lunch  at  Bologna  and  took  a  turn  through  the  town  to 
view  its  arcaded  streets  and  its  leaning  towers,  which  do  not  compare  with  that 


152 

at  Pisa.      The  exterior  of  the  cathedral  was  interesting  but  the  church  was  not 
open   at  that   hour. 

We  reached  Mestre,  the  last  town  on  the  main  land,  about  7:30  and  had 
a  bite  to  eat.  Then  we  left  the  motor  and  had  a  long  and  tedious  journey  by 
train,  ferry  boat  and  gondola,  reaching  the  Hotel  Danieli,  Venice,  about  9:30. 
There  the  usual  disappointment  met  us  in  not  getting  the  rooms  we  had  tele- 
graphed and  telephoned  for,  owing  to  congestion  from  non  departure  of  the 
Paris  express,  etc.,  etc.     So  we  had  to  take  what  we  could  get  for  the  night. 

VENICE,    Friday,   April   30,    1920. 

After  breakfast  we  took  a  guide,  recommended  especially  for  his  knowledge 
of  English.  He  turned  out  a  mine  of  knowledge  on  every  subject,  except  English. 
To  add  to  the  difficulty  of  his  imparting  information,  his  enunciation  was  de- 
cidedly below  par,  owing  to  the  loss  of  all  of  his  upper  teeth  and  some  of  the 
lower  incisors. 

We  devoted  the  forenoon  to  St.  Mark's  Square  and  Church,  and  the  Doge's 
Palace.  The  afternoon,  to  a  "giro"  or  turn  on  the  Grand  Canal  and  some  side 
canals  in  a  gondola. 

This  last  was  most  restful  and  soothing  and  thoroughly  enjoyable.  The  per- 
fectly quiet  gliding  motion;  the  interesting  places  pointed  out  on  the  way;  the 
charming  bits  and  artistic  combinations  of  buildings,  bridges  and  water,  on  the 
smaller  canals;  the  skillful  ease  of  the  gondolier  in  threading  in  and  out  of  the 
maze  of  narrow  water  channels — all  made  this  trip  a  thing  to  be  remembered. 
We  also  worked  into  the  afternoon  a  couple  of  churches  and  a  view  of  the  canal, 
where  the  gondolas  were  discharging  their  various  wares  on  to  the  Market 
Square  for  the  next  day's  business. 

We  also  visited  a  private  palace  belonging  to  Prince  Alberto  Giovanelli. 
This  is  an  old  family  and  the  richest  in  Venice.  When  Napoleon  the  First  ruled 
Italy,  he  made  them  Counts  and  the  Austrian  regime  confirmed  the  title,  raising 
it  to  Prince.  The  palace  and  contents  were  valued  at  30  million  lire  before  the 
war,  the  paintings  alone  representing  3  millions.  It  was  very  spacious  and 
grand  and  we  were  glad  to  see  a  palace  that  is  actually  lived  in,  although  we  did 
not  see  the  private  apartments  which  are  on  the  top  floor.  It  seems  that  it  is  not 
unusual  for  Italian  grandees  to  allow  visitors  to  the  state  apartments  of  their 
palaces,  for  the  next  Sunday  we  saw  the  state  apartments  of  the  "palazzo  delle 
Colonne",  belonging  to  "Conte  Donadei  Rosi"  of  the  family  of  Barbarisca,  that 
has  numbered  among  its  members  a  Cardinal  and  one  of  the  old  Councilors  of 
Venice,  under  the  Doges.  In  the  first  case  the  family  was  in  Rome  but  in  the 
latter,  they  were  actually  in  the  upper  part  of  the  house.  This  latter  palace  had 
most  wonderful  tapestries  representing  the  conquests  of  Scipio  Africanus.  Also 
a  great  quantity  of  really  antique  Venetian  painted  furniture,  that  Nellie  is  so 
interested  in  just  now.      Also  some  paintings  by  great  old  names. 

Almost  all  the  greatest  artistic  treasures  of  Venice  that  could  be  moved 
were  taken  to  Rome  during  the  war,  for  safety,  and  some  of  them  have  not  yet 
been  replaced.  This  applies  not  only  to  paintings,  but  to  much  more  bulky 
objects  also,  such  as  the  bronze  Horses  of  St.  Mark's,  and  the  like.  Even  in  the 
Giovanelli  palace  some  of  the  treasures  had  been  removed. 

The  new  Campanile  of  St.  Mark's  is  an  exact  reproduction  of  the  old  one 
that  collapsed  in  1902,  but  the  new  look  makes  it  seem  queer.  An  elevator  now 
carries  you  up  to  the  top  of  the  square  tower,  about  1  75  feet,  or  a  little  more 
than  half  way  to  the  top  of  the  huge  golden  Angel.  From  there  a  magnificent 
view  of  Venice  can  be  had,  which  we  enjoyed  for  the  first  time,   as  we  had  not 


153 

gone  up  on  foot  on  previous  visits.  Strange  as  it  may  at  first  appear  you  do  not 
see  anything  of  the  2,700  canals,  which  are  entirely  hidden  by  the  houses,  except 
just  the  entrance  of  the  Grand  Canal.  It  is  a  sea  of  roofs  with  the  domes  and 
bell  towers  of  the  churches  rising  out  of  it. 

I  must  now  make  a  confession.  If  by  mistake  you  snap  your  kodak  on 
different  objects  with  the  same  film  you  of  course  get  a  blurred  impression.  On 
the  same  principle  I  have  exposed  the  sensitive  film  of  my  brain  to  so  many 
different  objects  of  interest  in  the  last  few  months,  that  I  feel  sure  I  will  only 
retain  a  blurred  impression  of  many  of  them.  This  is  particularly  true  of  the 
galleries  and  churches,  temples,  palaces  and  pagodas,  where  a  great  general 
similarity  exists  between  the  several  "units"  of  each  class.  In  the  case  of  the 
paintings  of  the  old  masters  in  Italy,  the  difficulty  of  remembering  clearly  is 
further  increased  by  the  immense  multitude  of  them  that  are  centered  on  a  few 
of  the  same  ecclesiastical  subjects. 

We  had  intended  to  finish  Venice  tomorrow  and  return  to  Florence  Sunday, 
but  we  are  confronted  with  the  fact  that  tomorrow  is  the  first  of  May  and 
everything  is  closed  up,  except  what  is  connected  w^ith  food  supply.  In  addition, 
even  if  we  w^ere  ready  w^e  could  not  start,  for  somebody  or  other  has  issued  an 
edict  that  automobiles  shall  not  run  next  Sunday.  Whether  this  is  a  national  or  a 
municipal  or  a  labor  regulation,    I  cannot  find  out. 

Every  one  is  more  or  less  nervous  as  to  what  is  going  to  happen  tomorrow, 
tut  the  government  is  said  to  have  concentrated  a  strong  body  of  troops  in  the 
City  to  insure  order. 

We  managed  to  get  our  rooms  changed  (120  lire  per  day)  and  now  have 
a  private  bath,  but  we  do  not  like  the  service  in  the  Danieli  nearly  as  well  as  in 
the  Grand  Hotel  at  Florence.  Neither  is  the  table  as  good.  The  same  system 
prevails  of  no  tips  but  a  ten  percent  addition  to  your  bill  in  lieu  thereof,  and 
posters  on  the  walls  of  the  hotel  proclaim  how  much  this  adds  to  the  dignity 
of  labor. 

Carrie  Green  is  a  splendid  travelling  companion  and  enjoyed  the  trip 
immensely. 

VENICE,  SATURDAY.  May  I.  1920. 
All  work  and  outdoor  activities  absolutely  stopped.  Not  a  gondola  stirring 
except  an  occasional  freight  skiff,  probably  in  the  provision  trade.  We  would 
like  to  go  to  the  Lido  but  the  excursion  steamers  are  also  tied  up.  No  admission 
to  any  of  the  museums  or  similar  buildings.  We  can  look  into  the  courtyard  of  the 
Doge's  palace,  which  is  full  of  soldiers,  and  we  also  see  some  looking  out  of  the 
windows  of  other  buildings.  The  day  is  beautiful  and  the  streets  full  of  prom- 
enaders.  They  are  perfectly  orderly  and  well  mannered  and  neatly  dressed — no 
signs  of  extreme  poverty — the  children  all  have  shoes.  The  w^omen  and  young 
girls  go  bareheaded  and  wear  typical  black  silk  shawls  with  very  long  black 
fringe,  that  look  very  picturesque.  Their  skirts  are  all  shorter  than  you  would 
see  at  home  and  most  of  them  wear  such  ridiculously  high  heels  that  it  gives  me 
a  pain  to  look  at  them;  this  is  true  all  over  Italy.  It  is  a  craze  that  must  produce 
serious  results  on  the  health  of  the  women  if  it  lasts  long. 

We  took  quite  a  long  stroll  in  the  forenoon  and  again  in  the  afternoon. 

As  a  matter  of  fact  the  day  passed  very  quietly  all  over  Italy.  Some  rioting 
occurred  at  Via  Reggio,  but  it  started  as  the  result  of  a  collision  over  a  football 
game  and  had  no  political  significance.  At  least  that  is  what  we  see  in  the  local 
papers. 


154 

VENICE,  SUNDAY.  May  2.   1920. 

We  took  the  excursion  steamer  and  went  to  the  Lido  which  had  not  much  to 
attract,  as  the  bathing  season  has  not  opened  and  the  town,  while  rather  pretty,  is 
insignificant.  There  is  a  big  pavilion  of  the  Coney  Island  variety  but  not  opened 
for  trade. 

In  Venice  all  shops  are  still  closed.  We  had  already  decided  Friday  to  take 
a  local  train  that  runs  Sunday  to  Padua  and  spend  the  night  there.  The  chauffeur 
can  then  start  very  early  Monday  from  Mestre,  where  the  motor  has  remained, 
and  pick  us  up  at  Padua.  In  this  way  we  are  sure  of  reaching  Florence  at  a 
reasonable  hour.  This  is  what  we  did,  but  before  train  time  w^e  had  leisure  for 
another  gondola  trip,  visiting  also  the  Votive  church  of  Santa  Maria  della  Salute 
and  the  second  palace  already  described.  We  enjoyed  the  gondolas  immensely, 
even  the  row  from  the  hotel  to  the  train  being  in  the  nature  of  a  joy  ride  to  us. 

The  Savoy  Hotel  in  Padua  is  across  the  street  from  the  station.  The  plumb- 
ing was  out  of  order  but  the  proprietor  informed  us  w^hen  we  asked  for  a  bath 
that  there  was  a  good  one  a  few  blocks  away.  However  he  made  us  comfortable 
and  the  charge  for  the  two  rooms  overnight  was  27  lire,  a  little  over  $1.00. 

PADUA,  MONDAY,  May  3,  1920. 
The  chauffeur  showed  up  while  we  were  at  breakfast  and  we  got  started 
by  8:30.  The  church  of  St.  Anthony  is  attractive  architecturally  but  we  did  not 
go  in.  We  had  expected  to  return  by  a  different  route  from  Bologna  to  Florence, 
so  as  to  see  Pistoja,  but  owing  to  a  bridge  being  out  of  repair  we  had  to  return 
just  as  we  came.  The  day  was  beautiful  however  and  the  trip  over  the  Apennines 
much  more  enjoyable  than  before.  We  reached  Florence  by  6:30  and  Carrie 
voted  the  trip  the  most  enjoyable  experience  she  has  had  in  Europe,  which  was 
pleasant  to  hear.  We  only  had  one  blow  out.  It  seemed  like  getting  home 
when  we  got  into  our  very  comfortable  quarters  again. 

FLORENCE,  TUESDAY,  May  4,   1920. 

We  found  a  lot  of  mail  awaiting  us  here  and  it  has  kept  coming  ever  since, 
from  all  the  places  in  the  Orient  where  we  missed  it.  The  old  is  almost  as  in- 
teresting as  the  more  recent,  for  it  is  the  facts  and  not  the  dates  that  are  im- 
portant. I  am  writing  this  on  the  7th  and  I  will  recapitulate  this  week's  "bag** 
of  which  we  have  reason  to  feel  proud,  for  it  is  one  of  the  biggest  of  our  journey. 

M.D.O.  No.  13,  February  3rd;  No.  14,  February  10th;  No.  15,  February 
20th;  No.  19,  March  22nd.  The  most  salient  point  is  that  she  expects  to  go 
East  next  September  and  I  am  already  enjoying  the  family  reunion  in  anticipa- 
tion. She  says  that  "Alice  is  better**,  from  which  we  are  sorry  to  learn  that  she 
has  been  sick.  Also  that  Robbie  has  been  having  a  bad  winter  and  Tommy  a 
very  severe  case  of  **flu**.  They  all  have  our  sympathy.  We  are  also  glad  to 
know  that  Tommy*s  accident  does  not  disfigure  him. 

S.S.W.  January  25th  and  March  20th.  We  are  much  relieved  to  know 
that  an  operation  is  not  necessary  and  that  she  is  doing  well.  We  are  glad 
that  she  is  having  our  wine  cellar  doors  made  more  secure.  The  details  about 
the  children  never  fail  to  make  a  hit  with  us  and,  last  but  not  least,  everything 
that  concerns  Louie  is  a  headliner. 

B.A.O.  February  12th  and  19th,  March  29th,  Savannah  circular  January 
29th.  Letter  to  Miss  Slusher  February  4th  with  remittance.  The  news  regard- 
ing Savannah  sounds  too  good  to  be  true  and  his  plan  to  improve  the  refinery  to 
the  highest  efficiency  during  prosperity  thoroughly  appeals  to  me.  I  cabled  on 
this  date   (4th)   to  him  for  a  quotation  on  the  common  and  for  his  advice  about 


155 

buying,  but  have  no  answer  yet  (7th).  If  that  common  stock  was  worth  25 
when  he  bought  it  two  years  ago,  it  certainly  is  worth  over  50  now.  The  pre- 
ferred, I  should  say,  as  investments  go  nowadays,  is  about  high  enough.  All 
his  other  news  is  intensely  interesting  but  it  would  take  too  much  timie  to 
recapitulate  here. 

H.T.O.  February  10th  and  April  1st.  1  note  that  he  did  not  get  my  letter 
of  December  28th  and,  on  the  other  hand,  we  did  not  get  his  Christmas  cable,  for 
which  we  thank  him  heartily  nevertheless.  1  fully  agree  with  him  that  the  way 
the  European  situation  is  being  handled  at  Washington  is  a  political  crime. 
We  are  not  going  either  to  the  Olympic  games  or  to  Henley.  We  neither 
of  us  care  much  for  that  kind  of  thing,  and  there  is  always  such  a  crowd  that  it 
is  a  struggle  to   get  proper  accommodations. 

R.H.S.  February  9th.  At  last!  !  But  1  am  not  going  to  scold  because  it 
is  such  a  nice  letter,  so  full  of  interesting  news.  Bill's  training  as  an  engineer 
will  give  him  a  good  start  in  learning  the  refining  business,  where  the  problem 
is  the  efficient,  economical  and  careful  handling  of  large  quantities  of  material, 
not  complicated  by  chemical  and  agricultural  difficulties,  like  beet  sugar  produc- 
tion.    We  also  got  a  nice  letter  from  Bill  thanking  for  a  Christmas  remembrance. 

RUTH,  February  1 6th  and  Marie  Louise,  March  2 1  st.  You  have  to  be 
away  yourself  to  appreciate  the  home  details  like  the  ones  they  give.  I  am  glad 
to  see  that  Marie  Louise  had  accepted  philosophically  the  disappointment  of  not 
coming  to  Europe,  which  the  next  few  days  was  to  turn  into  gratification  of  her 
wish.  The  S.S.  "France",  that  is  to  bring  her  and  Adeline  over,  is  now  being 
delayed  in  sailing  from  Havre  by  a  strike  and  we  figure  that  she  will  be  several 
days  behind  her  schedule. 

Eugenie,  February  22nd.  Sending  us  the  "great  news",  which  brings  out 
our  heartiest  congratulations  and  best  wishes. 

Adele,  February  14th  from  New  York  with  interesting  details  about 
Helen's  plans. 

Judy  Sanderson  (undated),  written  from  a  houseboat  off  the  coast  of 
Florida.  She  might  be  sailing  in  the  clouds  instead  of  on  the  sea,  so  enthus- 
iastic and  poetical  is  the  description  of  her  trip.  But  the  mad  whirl  of  their 
stay  in  Havana  would  have  suited  me  better  when  I  lived  there  in  the  70s  of 
the  last  century  than  now.  How  nice  it  is  to  read  the  affectionate  things  she 
says  about  us  and  to  feel  that  she  means  them. 

E.C.H.  Copy  of  letter  to  President  of  April  7th,  which  gives  me  a  resume 
of  the  situation  that  I  am  glad  to  have. 

Miss  Slusher,  February  1 7th,  with  interesting  details  and  figures.  I  am 
going  to  see  if  I  now  have  sufficient  data  from  her  to  make  up  my  bank  account 
and  Mrs.  Oxnard's,  pending  receipt  of  the  statement  I  have  asked  for. 

Tom  Oxnard  of  Arizona,  with  thanks,  and  report  on  his  condition,  which 
is  now  improving  again. 

Emilia  Condamin.     Usual  letter  of  thanks.      I  expect  to  see  her  now  shortly. 

Miscellaneous  circulars,  clippings,  etc.  from  various  sources.  Invitation  ta 
Helen  Keeney's  wedding. 

This  makes  twenty-two  letters  besides  the  miscellaneous  and  I  am  keeping 
them  all  in  a  large  envelope,  to  go  over  them  again  the  next  time  I  am  on  the 
train. 

Postscript.  Since  writing  the  above  another  mail  has  come  in  with  Marie's 
letter  of  April  5th  (No.  20)  ;    Sallie's  letter  of  April  4th;    Marie  Louise's  of  same 


156 

date;  Billy  Newhall's  of  March  31st  and  Edie  Delong's  of  April  14th.  Sallie*8 
and  Marie  Louise's  are  full  of  the  new  plan  to  let  the  latter  join  us  in  Paris, 
which  I  think  is  an  unselfish  and  wise  decision  on  Sallie's  part.  It  will  do  the 
child  a  lot  of  good  to  see  something  of  the  great  world  and  meet  new  people. 
This  will  give  her  a  good  standard  by  which  to  measure  her  old  ideals,  and 
correct  them  if  they  are  dwarfed.  At  least  I  hope  so.  There  is  a  French  saying 
— "Whoever  has  seen  much,  may  have  retained  much",  and  I  think  this  will  be 
the  case  with  her. 

As  regards  Marie's  letter,  I  will  give  her  present  of  money  to  Adeline  as 
requested.  What  she  says  about  Nadine's  talent  for  painting  brings  up  now, 
something  1  wanted  to  w^rite  about  later.  At  a  tea  given  for  us  by  Miss  Eastwick 
on  Tuesday,  there  was  a  Russian  lady  that  I  met  last  w^eek  at  Mrs.  Richardson's. 
She  has  been  living  by  selling  some  houses  she  owned  here,  since  her  supplies 
were  cut  off  from  Russia,  but  now^  must  do  something  to  earn  her  living.  She  is 
herself  very  artistic  and  she  developed  her  daughter  into  a  great  pianist  and  a 
very  promising  painter,  when  she  thought  these  were  only  accomplishments. 
Now  her  daughter  earns  a  good  living  as  a  pianist.  She  says  that  she  has  seen 
so  many  young  American  artists  come  to  Italy  full  of  hope  and  fail  for  want  of 
guidance,  as  to  what  teachers  to  employ  to  develop  their  particular  talent. 
She  would  like  to  act  as  artistic  guide  to  American  girls  coming  to  study  in  Italy. 
Miss  Eastwick  vouches  for  her  and  I  was  well  impressed  with  her  personality 
and  culture.  If  Henry  thinks  of  sending  Nadine  over  here.  Miss  Eastwick  would 
gladly   give   him  further  particulars. 

FLORENCE,  WEDNESDAY,  May  5.  1920. 
Nellie  is  ordering  some  Venetian  furniture  and  I  am  acting  as  French  in- 
terpreter betw^een  her  and  the  maker.  This  took  up  the  forenoon.  In  the  after- 
noon w^e  went  to  tea  at  the  E^stwicks'  and  met  almost  the  same  people  as  at 
Mrs.  Richardson's.  In  between,  we  were  trying  to  secure  hotel  accommodations 
in  Paris.  We  wrote  to  a  dozen  different  hotels  early  in  April  and  are  now  still 
getting  answers,  dated  April  1  4th  to  1  6th.  From  these  we  picked  out  the  Plaza 
Athenee  and  telegraphed  a  week  ago  for  an  apartment,  asking  them  to  confirm 
by  telegraph  but  we  have  not  heard  a  word.  We  hardly  know  what  to  do, 
because  the  delay  may  be  due  to  the  telegraph  service  and  in  such  case  we  could 
not  hope  to  hear  from  anyone  else  before  leaving  Florence.  We  will  just  have 
to  drift  and  probably  wait  till  we  get  to  Paris  before  permanently  settling  our- 
selves. 

FLORENCE,  THURSDAY,  May  6.    1920. 

Nellie  is  getting  some  bargains  in  summer  dresses  at  a  dressmaker  here. 
She  has  also  bought  a  dress  each  for  Marie  Louise  and  Adeline.  The  rate  of 
exchange  makes  anything  that  you  can  find  in  Italy  that  suits  you  a  great  bargain. 
It  will  not  be  the  same  in  Paris  as  we  can  tell  by  the  prices  asked  for  hotel 
accommodations. 

Today  we  were  invited  by  Carrie  to  lunch  at  a  typical  Italian  restaurant  of 
the  Bohemian  sort.  She  also  asked  Mrs.  Erskine  and  a  Mr.  Eyre,  of  French, 
Lemon  and  Company,  an  old  firm  of  bankers  and  agents,  who  are  going  to  ship 
our  purchases  home,  as  they  did  w^hen  we  were  here  before.  Mr.  Eyre  is  a 
cripple,  but  a  most  charming  man. 

The  lunch  consisted  of  spaghetti  with  a  wonderful  sauce,  an  Italian  fric- 
asseed chicken  and  a  rum  omelet.  It  was  simply  perfect  of  its  kind  and,  washed 
down  with  an  Italian  white  wine,  left  nothing  to  be  desired.  To  show  the  type 
of  restaurant,  the  cook  was  standing  up  in  the  distance,  in  white  cap  and  apron, 


157 

eating  his  lunch  on  the  hoof  and  watching  the  reception  we  gave  to  his  dishes. 
Mailed  at  Florence,  May  8,    1920. 
Received  at  San  Francisco,   June    II,    1920. 

FLORENCE,  FRIDAY,  May  7,   1920. 

We  are  closing  up  our  "business** — furniture,  dressmaker,  forwarding 
agent,  etc.,  today,  preparatory  to  leaving  tomorrow  for  Genoa.  We  are  re- 
markably well  pleased  with  Mr.  Kraft,  a  Swiss,  who  runs  this  hotel.  The  Grand, 
while  his  brother  runs  the  Italie,  a  block  away.  The  old  father,  who  is  the 
capitalist,  divides  his  time  between  the  two.  He  must  be  rich,  for  he  also  owns 
a  very  fine  house  on  the  Lungarno,  a  few  blocks  away,  where  he  grows  as  a 
hobby  beautiful  flowers  and  particularly  azaleas.  He  has,  in  the  sitting  room 
and  halls  of  the  hotel,  the  most  perfect  azalea  plants  in  pots  that  I  have  ever 
seen.  They  would  take  first  prize  at  any  flower,  show  in  the  United  States. 
They  are  white  and  pink-red  and  are  just  now  in  their   glory. 

We  gave  a  parting  dinner  tonight  to  Carrie  and  Mrs.  Erskine  and  the  hotel 
cook  gave  us  a  special  dinner  that  was  exquisite. 

In  the  afternoon  we  went  with  Miss  Elastw^ick  and  visited  the  apartment 
that  they  have  bought  and  are  fixing  up  to  receive  their  furniture,  when  it  arrives 
from  Vevey.  It  certainly  is  wonderful  for  the  price,  though  not  laid  out  con- 
veniently, according  to  our  ideas.  I  was  not  surprised  to  learn  that  a  Mrs.  Mason 
Jones,  a  friend  of  the  Eastwicks*,  is  trying  to  purchase  from  the  original  buyer 
the  adjoining  apartment  and  is  willing  to  pay  a  bonus  of  20,000  lire  (about 
$1,000.00).  I  was  also  mistaken  about  the  cost  of  the  apartments  fronting  on 
the  river,   which  Miss  Eastwick  says  are   considerably  dearer. 

Earlier  in  the  afternoon,  we  took  a  motor  and  drove  up  to  Fiesoli,  and  then 
down  again  across  the  River  to  the  south  bank,  and  up  to  the  Square  of  Michael 
Angelo,  where  there  is  another  glorious  view  of  the  City  and  of  the  Valley  of 
the  Arno.  Returning,  we  passed  through  the  Cascine,  the  park  of  Florence.  All 
this  we  had  already  seen,  but  never  at  this  season,  when  the  trees  are  in  full 
Spring  foliage,  and  it  impressed  us  as  never  before. 

We  have  been  fortunate,  since  landing  in  Sicily,  in  following  up  on  our  way 
North  the  development  of  Spring.  We  are  leaving  Italy  with  regret  because, 
however  hard  the  rate  of  exchange  may  be  for  the  good  of  the  country,  it  cer- 
tainly gives  the  tourist  a  sense  of  getting  a  wonderful  return  for  his  expenditure, 
in  our  money. 

We  hear  all  the  time  of  unrest  and  labor  troubles,  but  personally  we  have 
not  come  into  disagreeable  contact  with  those  conditions,  and  we  read  in  the 
papers  the  same  things  about  other  countries,  including  our  ow^n. 

As  regards  Sallie's  letter,  in  which  she  speaks  of  serious  conditions  in 
Europe  in  the  way  of  diseases,  we  have  met  an  official  of  the  Red  Cross,  who 
has  travelled  all  over  Europe  recently  and  he  says,  that  there  is  positively  -no 
serious  trouble  except  in  Serbia,  and  parts  of  Southern  Russia.  This  young 
man  has  been  in  Europe  five  years  and  1  think  he  said  his  name  was  "Barton", 
but  I  am  not  sure.  He  is  from  San  Francisco  and  was  one  of  the  Purchasing 
Agents  of  the  Owl  Drug  Company. 

FLORENCE,  SATURDAY,  May  8.   1920. 

We  packed  up  this  morning  and  took  train  at    12:45   for  Genoa.      We  had  a 

picnic  lunch  put  up  by  the  hotel  to  eat  on  the  train.     Exchange  has  been  steadily 

going  in  favor  of  Italy  for  the  last  few  days,  and  I  settled  my  hotel  bill,   in  part, 

with   American   Express    checks    for   which    I    only    got    19.80    lire    to    the    dollar. 


158 

as  against  25.50  in  Rome.     Our  average  for  all  we  drew  was  about  23. 

There  was  a  strike  of  telegraphers  in  Florence  and  the  people  in  our  com- 
partment thought  this  might  cause  delay  in  the  operation  of  the  train,  but  w^e 
arrived  in  Genoa  only  one-half  hour  late  (unusually  promptly)  and  in  ample 
time  for  dinner. 

Our  travelling  companions  were:  First,  husband  and  wife  (elderly),  people 
of  evident  position  and  means,  who  live  in  Turin  but  have  an  estate  near  Sienna 
and  another  near  the  French  frontier,  opposite  Savoy.  They  spoke  a  little 
English  and  very  good  French  and  Spanish.  She  was  born  in  Lima,  Peru, 
daughter  of  the  Italian  Consul  there.  Some  of  her  brothers  are  Peruvians  and 
some  Italians.  One  is  the  Vice-President  of  Peru  and  another  is  a  retired 
Admiral  of  the  Italian  Navy.  Another  passenger,  whom  the  first  two  knew,  was 
a  college  professor,  who  spoke  French.  The  fourth  was  the  Italian  Agent  for 
the  Ford  and  Hudson  automobiles.  In  spite  of  the  adverse  exchange,  he  manages 
to  do  considerable  business  in  these   cars. 

I  told  him  I  had  written  to  the  Fiat  people  for  a  quotation  on  a  limousine  of 
their  best  grade,  but  that  they  had  quoted  me  in  American  money — $4,400.00 
f.  o.  b.  Turin,  for  delivery  in  1921.  That  this  price,  plus  duty  and  freight,  was 
prohibitive,  especially  as  the  American  Naval  Attache,  at  Rome,  who  had  a 
Cadillac,  told  me  that  no  Italian  car  could  equal  its  general  performance.  He 
did  not  dispute  this,  but  said  that,  if  I  wanted  an  Italian  car,  he  had  an  opportunity 
of  getting  quick  delivery  on  a  Lancia  limousine  for  1 00,000  lire  (at  20  equals 
$5,000.00).  So  it  would  appear  that  there  are  no  bargains  in  Italian  motors. 
I  would  be  afraid  to  buy  one  anyhow,  for  I  hear  that  the  quality  of  material  that 
they  put  into  them  has  greatly  degenerated. 

To  come  back  to  our  fellow  passengers,  there  was  not  a  single  one  but 
could  make  himself  fairly  understood  in  at  least   one  language  besides  his  own. 

Genoa  is  a  very  important  commercial  city.  Before  the  war  it  was  the 
main  outlet,  not  only  for  Northern  Italy,  but  for  Southern  Germany,  a  large  part 
of  Austria  and  of  Switzerland.  For  the  tourist  it  has  few  attractions  and  as  we 
had  been  there  before,  we  merely  spent  the  night  at  a  railroad  hotel,  and  the 
next  morning: 

GENOA,  SUNDAY,  May  9,   1920. 

We  started  for  Ventimiglia,  the  Italian  frontier  station,  on  our  way  to  Monte 
Carlo.  There  the  passports  and  baggage  are  examined  both  by  the  Italian 
authorities,  for  permission  to  leave  the  country,  and  by  the  French,  for  permis- 
sion to  enter  their  territory.  The  baggage  examination  is  quite  perfunctory. 
The  Italians  only  want  to  know  that  you  are  not  taking  gold  or  silver  out  of  the 
country,  and  the  French  that  you  are  not  bringing  in  tobacco  or  liquors.  They 
only  opened  one  or  two  pieces.  As  to  the  passports,  ours  were  duly  vised  in 
Florence  by  the  American  Consul,  the  French  Consul  and  the  Italian  police. 
The  American  Consul  had  to  attach  an  extra  sheet  to  our  passports,  as  there 
was  not  an  inch  of  room  left  for  further  visas. 

We  reached  Ventimiglia  a  little  before  one,  Italian  time,  or  noon  French 
time.  Just  after  we  arrived,  everybody  stopped  work  and  went  to  lunch,  and 
business  was  not  resumed  until  two  hours  later.  This  included  the  "information 
department",  so  I  could  get  no  authentic  information,  and  not  know^ing  anything 
at  first  about  the  difference  in  time,  nor  as  to  the  length  of  time  it  would  take 
to  examine  the  baggage,  I  was  somewhat  on  the  anxious  seat  for  a  while.  I 
remembered  when  Sallie  and  I,  at  the  same  place,  were  wrestling  with  the  Custom 
House  when  the  train  started  and  Nellie,  jumping  off  to  look  for  us,  also  got  left. 


159 

So  Ruth  and  Marie  Louise  were  carried  on  alone  to  Monte  Carlo,  where,  with 
great  presence  of  mind  for  kids  of  fifteen  and  ten,  they  got  off  and  waited  for 
us  at  the  Station,  until  the  arrival  of  another  train  shortly  after.  Nellie  reminds 
me  that  Mrs.  Alleyne  was  with  them. 

Today  however  there  was  plenty  of  time  and  we  reached  the  Hotel  de 
Paris,  Monte  Carlo,  right  opposite  the  Casino,  about  four  o'clock.  Here,  as  in 
Genoa,  the  night  before,  our  telegram  froni  Florence  for  rooms  had  not  been 
delivered.  The  clerk  showed  us  two  rooms  and  bath  in  front,  but  just  over  the 
starting  place  of  the  electric  trains  which  made  a  big  racket.  We  refused  these 
and  he  then  suggested  inside  rooms.  Mrs.  O.  refused  to  consider  this  and,  to 
make  a  long  story  short,  he  finally  gave  us  a  splendid  apartment — parlor,  two 
bed  rooms  and  bath,  and  in  consideration  of  the  fact  that  he  could  not  supply 
us  with  what  we  asked  for,  he  made  the  price  the  same  as  he  had  quoted  for 
the  two  first  rooms,  viz. :    155   francs. 

After  we  had  settled  ourselves  and  had  dinner,  we  strolled  into  the  gambling 
rooms,  but  did  not  play,  as  we  were  tired  and  needed  a  good  night's  rest. 


CHAPTER  X. 
France  (/.) 


163 

MONTE  CARLO,  MONDAY,  May  10,  1920. 
The  season  is  fast  drawing  to  an  end  here.  We  took  a  walk  after  break- 
fast and  found  several  of  the  branches  of  Parisian  shops  closed,  or  about  to  close. 
The  weather  is  perfectly  beautiful  however,  and  the  crowds  around  the  tables 
uncomfortably  large.  This  partly  because  they  don't  seem  to  want  to  start  any 
more  tables  running  than  absolutely  necessary.  There  are  always  several  of 
them,  with  full  crews  of  croupiers,  standing  idle.  The  play,  however,  was  not 
large,  though  later  on  we  saw  some  lively  betting  once  or  twice.  As  we  do  not 
care  to  stand  up  by  the  hour,  we  subscribed  to  the  private  parlors  at  50  francs 
per  month,  but  found  these  almost  as  crowded.  The  "Sporting  Club",  which  is 
an  adjunct  of  the  Casino  in  a  separate  building,  had  just  closed  for  the  season. 
To  join  this  Club  you  must  be  known,  or,  if  a  foreigner,  at  least  be  a  member  of 
•ome  reputable  Club  in  your  own  Country.  Last  time  we  were  here,  I  had  no 
difficulty  in  getting  a  card  of  admission  for  myself  and  ladies,  as  a  member  of  the 
Union  Club  of  New  York.  We  found  this  very  much  more  agreeable  and  enter- 
taining than  the  public  rooms,  both  as  regards  the  players  and  the  character  of 
the   betting. 

In  Italy  we  had  learned  that  the  train  de  luxe  with  sleepers  for  Paris  was 
booked  weeks  ahead.  On  enquiring  here  we  found  the  same  to  be  the  case. 
There  are  four  grades  of  accommodation  for  night  travel;  1st,  the  regular  wagon 
lits  or  Pullman;  2nd,  a  "couchette  with  sheets"  which  is  a  bed  made  up  in  day 
compartments — four  to  a  compartment;  3rd,  the  same  without  sheets,  but  a 
pillow;  (Query:  Why  this  difference,  which  hardly  seems  worth  while)  ;  and 
4th,  sitting  up  all  night — which  many  people  do. 

There  are  only  two  trains  a  day  to  Paris,  and  only  one  with  "wagon  lits". 
So  the  problem  of  getting  there  is  a  serious  one.  The  Pullman  is  out  of  the 
question.  They  will  only  book  your  name  for  the  "couchettes"  three  days  in 
advance,  and  there  are  so  many  applications  that  the  agent  tells  you  frankly 
that  your  chance  is  very  small.  We  spoke  with  a  woman,  who,  in  spite  of  having 
a  doctor's  certificate  that  her  husband  should  be  moved,  and  in  spite  of  having 
pronaised  the  Agent  a  good  tip,  had  been  trying  unsuccessfully  for  ten  days  to  get 
away.  Under  these  circumstances,  I  was  advised  to  go  to  headquarters  at  Nice 
and  see  the  Superintendent.  So  Nellie  and  I  took  a  motor  this  afternoon  and 
w^ent  to  Nice,  where  the  Superintendent,  politely  but  positively,  told  us  he  could 
do  nothing  except  through  the  regular  channels;  that  the  strike  of  railway  em- 
ployees w^as  responsible  for  the  congestion,  and  that  he  was  going  to  forbid  the 
Monte  Carlo  agent  from  sending  him  people,  to  whom  he  could  give  no  satis- 
faction. Incidentally  I  will  say  here  that  the  motor  trip  along  the  shore  was 
beautiful.  We  went  back  by  the  famous  upper  Corniche  road,  but  owing  to  the 
stone  wall  that  borders  it,  and  the  steep  slope  of  the  land  from  it  down  to  the 
water,  there  is  not  nearly  as  fine  a  view  as  from  the  lower  road. 

While  in  Nice  we  went  to  the  Villa  Gaja  and  called  on  Emilie  and  Claire, 
The  former  opened  the  door  for  us  and  was  overjoyed  to  see  us,  expressing  it  in 
her  usual  demonstrative  w^ay.  She  sent  for  Claire  who  had  gone  to  church  and 
we  had  a  long  and  intimate  talk.  They  neither  of  them  look  well,  though 
Emilie  better  than  I  had  feared.  Later  on  I  went  into  Charles'  study  to  greet 
him.  He  looks  very  badly,  being  a  confirmed  invalid,  who  is  allowed  to  do  his 
w^ork  at  home.  I  imagine  that  he  has  a  responsible  position  and  must  be  an 
efficient   engineer. 

The  relations  between  him  and  Emilie  are  very  much  strained.  He  has  not 
spoken   to   her   for   years  and  she   lives  and   eats   in   her    room,   never   coming   in 


164 

contact  with  him.  The  situation  is  deplorable  and  we  must  do  something  more 
for  those  relatives  than  we  have  done  in  the  past.  I  w^ill  discuss  this  matter 
when  I  get  home  and  meanwhile  have  given  some  extra  temporary  help. 

I  was  delighted  to  hear  from  them,  that  Paolina  was  due  in  Nice  the  next 
day  to  visit  there,  as  this  saves  my  stopping  at  Marseilles.  I  therefore  invited 
them  all  for  lunch  at  a  restaurant  in  Nice  for  the  day  after  tomorrow,  as  it 
would  be  difficult  for  them  to  come  to  Monte  Carlo.  Both  Claire  and  Charles 
spoke  of  having  us  to  lunch  with  them  but  we  pleaded  an  early  departure,  as  it 
would  have  created  a  very  embarassing  situation.  Fortunately  Charles  refused 
our  invitation,  on  the  plea  of  invalidism,  which  was  in  itself  a  sufficient  one. 

To  anticipate  and  finish  up  the  family  reunion,  Nellie  and  I  went  to  Nice 
Wednesday,  and  after  ordering  the  table  d'hote  lunch  at  the  swell  Hotel  Brul,  and 
including  a  bottle  of  champagne,  I  called  in  a  carriage  and  brought  the  three 
ladies  down  to  the  Hotel,  where  Nellie  awaited  us.  Paolina  is  a  wonder  for 
eighty-two  years  of  age,  being  by  far  the  smartest  looking  of  the  bunch.  We 
had  a  very  good,  almost  a  jolly  time,  though  the  details  of  their  lives  are  sad 
enough.  They  all  hate  and  despise  Charles  Bardot  and  I  think  he  richly  deserves 
it.  The  lunch  was  at  one  o'clock  and  Nellie  and  I  took  the  four  o'clock  train 
back  to  Monte  Carlo. 

To  anticipate  further,  after  trying  unsuccessfully  to  get  "couchettes" — with 
or  without  sheets — we  determined  that  our  only  recourse  was  to  make  Paris  in 
two  day-time  journeys,  stopping  over  at  Lyons.  Even  for  this  it  seemed  im- 
possible to  get  reserved  seats  in  the  day  coach,  and  the  alternative  was  to  run 
the  risk  of  standing  up  or  sitting  on  our  baggage  in  the  aisle,  as  so  many  people 
have  to  do.  In  this  emergency  Claire  bethought  her  of  a  young  girl  for  whom 
Charles  had  obtained  a  position  in  the  railroad  office  at  Nice.  Through  her  we 
were  booked  for  two  reserved  seats  from  Cannes  to  Lyons.  In  spite  of  that,  I 
had  to  bribe  the  agent  at  Monte  Carlo,  and  then  again  at  Cannes,  to  make  it 
stick,  although  w^e  actually  have  the  tickets  issued  by  the  Cannes  office.  I  have 
written  to  reserve  the  same  from  Lyons  to  Paris  and  can  only  hope  for  the  best. 

Now  to  come  back  to  Monday  when  we  returned  from  Nice  to  Monte  Carlo 
by  motor.  We  dined  that  day  in  the  Restaurant  de  Paris,  which  is  distinct  from 
the  Hotel  de  Paris,  and  where  it  was  gayer,  with  occasional  dancing  in  the  center 
of  the  room,  but  apparently  only  by  professionals.  After  dinner  we  went  again 
to  the  Casino  and  played  in  the  private  rooms.  We  are  playing  on  the  same 
"system"  that  succeeded  with  us  before  and  we  are  dividing  up  the  labor.  I 
keep  the  accounts,  or  in  other  w^ords  the  run  of  how  much  to  bet  and  where  to 
place  it,  and  Nellie  does  the  actual  betting.  By  our  system  of  play  whenever  we 
could  "close"  a  "series"  it  w^ould  net  us  500  frcs.  We  played  off  and  on  all 
the  time  we  w^ere  at  Monte  Carlo.  It  took  us  several  sittings  to  close  up  the  first 
frame  or  series,  and  w^e  never  succeeded,  during  our  stay,  in  closing  up  the 
second.  The  result  was  that  we  left  the  place  with  a  net  loss  of  860  francs  in 
our  gambling  account,  w^hich  certainly  is  not  large.  In  addition  to  the  loss  of 
money  however,  I  have  to  acknowledge  that  playing  on  a  system  (if  you  do  not 
win)  gets  to  be  more  like  work  than  play.  The  system  takes  away  all  initiative 
as  to  the  size  or  the  placing  of  the  bets,  and  the  bookkeeping  keeps  you  busy, 
so  that  you  cannot  watch  the  play  of  the  others. 

We  were  very  much  favored  by  the  weather,  w^hich  was  simply  ideal,  and 
the  scenery  is  a  constant  pleasure  to  the  eye.  I  have  said  that  Taormina  was  the 
most  beautiful  place  I  have  seen  and  I  don't  want  to  weaken  on  that,  but  I  must 
add  that  Taormina,  compared  to  the  Cote  d'Azur,  is  an  exquisite  miniature  com- 
pared to  a  grand  painting. 


165 

MONTE  CARLO,  TUESDAY.  May  1 1,  1920. 

I  was  forcibly  reminded  of  a  little  trick  that  they  have  in  most  high  grade 
French  restaurants.  They  have  the  price  of  most  dishes  printed  on  the  bill  of 
fare,  but  occasionally  they  leave  one  blank.  If  the  unwary  customer  steps  care- 
lessly into  one  of  those  blank  holes,  he  gets  a  jolt  that  warns  him  to  be  careful 
where  he  steps.  Thus  we  ordered  an  innocent  looking  piece  of  chicken,  lying 
carelessly  among  the  1 0  and  1 2  and  1 8  franc  articles,  to  find  it  charged  on  the 
bill  65  francs.  Even  this  is  better  than  some  of  the  swell  Parisian  restaurants, 
where  they  have  no  prices  on  the  bill  of  fare  and  where  you  are  sure  to  put  your 
foot  into  the  trap,  no  matter  where  you  step. 

1  have  secured  a  masseuse,  who  is  quite  a  character.  She  was  a  professional 
nurse  at  nineteen,  when  her  father  and  mother  were  buried  on  the  same  day, 
and  she  brought  up  honorably  and  well,  four  sisters  and  two  brothers.  Her 
brothers  were  both  killed,  one  at  Verdun  and  one  in  the  Argonne,  and  one  of 
her  nieces,  who  followed  her  into  the  army  as  nurse,  died  of  influenza  brought 
on  by  exposure. 

One  day  she  picked  up  a  little  boy,  a  month  old,  lying  abandoned  along  the 
road  and  almost  dead  from  lack  of  nourishment,  and  in  spite  of  all  obstacles  she 
brought  him  up  and  adopted  him.  The  mother,  who  was  located  by  the  Police, 
gave  a  legal  abandonment.  She  has  called  him  JofFre  and  has  since  married  **to 
give  a  father  to  little  Joffre".  1  told  her  to  bring  him  to  me,  which  she  did,  and 
we  found  him  just  as  cunning  and  pathetic  as  possible.  Although  he  is  five  and 
a  half  years  old  he  is  no  bigger  than  Bud.  He  gives  the  military  salute  when 
addressed  as  Marechal  Joffre. 

MONTE  CARLO,  WEDNESDAY,  May   12,   1920. 

This  was  really  the  day  of  the  famous  family  luncheon.  Emilie  had  not 
tasted  Champagne  for  twenty  years,  while  Claire,  some  years  ago,  had  tasted  it 
at  a  friend's  dinner.  Paolina  never  drinks  anything,  but  made  an  exception  to 
drink  a  toast  to  all  the  American  members  of  the  family. 

We  have  looked  around  at  the  different  shops  and  seen  many  things,  prin- 
cipally jewelery,  offered  for  sale  cheap,  having  been  sacrificed  by  unfortunate 
gamblers,  but  nothing  that  quite  suited  us.  1  did  buy  for  myself  a  set  of  chased 
gold  and  enamel  buttons, — shirt  studs,  sleeve  links  and  dress  vest  buttons,  all  to 
match,  for  700  francs  (about  $49.00)  that  probably  would  cost  two  or  three 
times  as  much  from  a  regular  jeweler. 

MONTE  CARLO,  THURSDAY,  May  13,  1920. 
After  packing  and  a  final  shot  (unsuccessful,  as  already  related)  at  the 
trente  et  quarante  table,  we  took  the  train  for  Cannes  and  put  up  at  the  Hotel 
Gray  et  d' Albion,  which  is  on  the  order  of  a  family  hotel,  largely  patronized  by 
English  speaking  people.  We  made  arrangements  with  the  hotel  porter  for  an 
automobile  to  take  us  tomorrow  to  Grasse,  the  principal  seat  of  the  perfume 
industry. 

CANNES,  FRIDAY.  May  14,  1920. 
Started  about  ten  o'clock  and  drove  through  the  town  which,  although  full 
of  Villas  and  very  fashionable,  does  not  seem  to  us  as  well  or  prettily  situated  as 
the  Riviera  towns  nearer  the  Italian  frontier.  The  country  between  here  and 
Grasse  was  also  less  attractive  than  we  had  expected.  Pretty  soon  we  began 
to  see  fields  of  the  rather  small  pink  roses,  which  is  the  only  variety  grown  for 
perfume.  We  did  not  see  any  other  flowers  as  the  roses  are  the  only  ones 
blooming  so  early  in  the  season.      Consequently,  while  we  saw  many  roses  in  the 


166 

aggregate,  the  fields  were  scattered  and  there  was  nothing  to  compare  in  beauty 
with  the  sight  of  the  Santa  Clara  Valley  in  fruit  blossom  time.  We  saw  few 
people  working  in  the  fields,  although  quite  a  number  of  carts  were  passed 
loaded  with  the  brown  canvas  sacks,  the  size  of  grain  bags,  in  which  they 
transport  the  flowers  to  the  factory.  The  reason  for  this  is  that  most  of  the 
factory  operatives,  principally  women,  are  on  strike  for  higher  wages. 

We  drove  to  the  Euzieres  plant  and  presented  Claire  Bardot's  card  for  Mr. 
Courmes,  one  of  the  owners,  who  is  related  to  the  Second  family,  a  connection 
of  our  family.  He  w^as  out,  but  young  Euzieres  showed  us  through.  There  were 
just  enough  men  and  w^omen  at  w^ork  to  enable  him  to  show  us  the  processes. 
These  are  principally  the  distilling  of  the  essential  oils  from  a  mixture  of  flower* 
and  water,  or  else,  the  extraction  of  this  product  by  mixing  the  flowers  with  hot 
lard,  separating  the  exhausted  petals  out  by  filter  presses  and  repeating  the 
process  again  with  the  same  lard  but  fresh  flowers,  until  the  required  strength 
is  reached.  The  perfume  is  then  separated  out  of  the  lard  with  alcohol.  A  rose 
bush  gives  about  a  pound  of  flowers  and  the  yield  of  oil  is  about  one  tenth  of  one 
percent.  The  plants  are  one  half  meter  apart  in  the  rows  and  the  rows  one 
meter  apart.  This  figures  out  about  four  tons  of  flowers,  or  eight  pounds  of 
essential  oil  perfume,  per  acre.  They  pay  8|/2  francs  per  kilo  for  the  flowers, 
which  is  nearly  ten  fold  the  pre-war  price.  This  means  30,000  francs  per  acre,  or, 
even  at  the  present  exchange  discount,  $2,000,00,  so  that  the  farmers  are  coin- 
ing money,  though  the  preparation  of  the  land  is  costly.  It  also  means  that  the 
perfume  oil  costs  $250.00  per  pound,  just  for  the  raw  material.  Very  few  of  the 
great  names  in  the  perfume  trade  own  any  factories.  They  buy  the  raw  per- 
fumes and  blend  them,  which  is  the  great  art. 

From  Grasse  we  went  to  the  Canyon  of  the  Loup  River  (le  saut  du  Loup) 
and,  after  lunching  at  its  mouth,  we  ascended  it  and  saw  one  of  the  finest  bits 
of  scenery  in  all  this  beautiful  country.  We  returned  to  Cannes  by  another 
road,   well  pleased  with  our   day. 

CANNES.  SATURDAY.  May   15.    1920. 

We  started  for  Lyons,  via  Marseilles,  at  7:26  a.m.  The  hotel  porter  had 
finally,  after  spending  much  time  and  money  the  day  before  while  we  were  at 
Grasse,  obtained  the  tickets  for  our  reserved  seats.  This  was  fortunate  for  the 
train  was  jammd.  Almost  as  many  people  standing  or  sitting  on  baggage  in  the 
aisles  as  those  seated.  They  blocked  up  the  windows  so  that  the  light  was  bad 
for  reading.  Also,  those  at  the  windows  were  disinclined  to  keep  them  open 
enough  for  proper  ventilation.  There  was  no  diner  so  that  we  had  to  buy  "cold 
vittles"  and  lunch  in  our  seats.  This  was  all  very  well  for  a  few  hours  but  got 
very  wearisome  by  8:30  p.  m.,   when  we   reached  Lyons. 

The  country  looked  fertile  and  the  crops  good.  After  Marseilles  we  went 
up  the  Valley  of  the  Rhone,  passing  such  picturesque  places  as  Aries,  Tarascon, 
Avignon,  Nimes,  etc.  These  had  all  been  included  in  the  motor  trip  that  we 
took  in    1913   from  Biarritz  to  Monte  Carlo,  with  Ruth. 

I  met  on  the  train  a  young  man  (about  forty)  travelling  with  his  wife  and 
child,  who  owns  a  chateau  and  some  1100  hectares  of  grazing  land  in  the 
Ardennes,  near  Sedan.  His  home  w^as  not  destroyed  as  it  was  occupied  by 
German  officers,  and  the  fighting  stopped  a  few  kilometers  away  when  the  armis- 
tice was  signed.  The  original  furniture  had  almost  all  been  taken  away,  but  was 
replaced  for  the  needs  of  the  German  occupants  with  other  things,  stolen  else- 
where. He  says  that  as  far  as  ordinary,  as  distinct  from  malicious,  looting  is 
concerned,  it  made  little  difference  if  a  place  was  occupied  by  German,  French, 


167 

English  or  American  soldiers — they  were  almost  equally  destructive.  He  raised 
cattle  himself  before  the  war,  but  has  now  subdivided  the  place  and  rents  it  out 
for  the  same  purpose.  Being  of  an  active,  or  as  he  called  it,  an  "American" 
disposition  however,  he  did  not  like  to  be  idle  and  is  now  in  Cannes  developing 
a  machine,  on  the  principle  of  a  trench  digger,  to  move  or  cultivate  ground 
down  to  24  inches  and  30  inches.  This  must  be  done  for  successful  rose  culture, 
which  also  requires  the  land  to  be  changed  often,  preferably  every  year.  The 
land  is  owned  in  such  small  tracts  that  steam  plows  cannot  be  used  and  this 
deep  tilling  operation  is  done  by  hand.  The  expense  of  it  has  become  so 
enormously  great  that  he  thinks  his  machine  will  fill  a  long  felt  w^ant.  As  the 
small  farmer  cannot  afford  to  buy  such  a  machine,  he  expects  to  form  a  company 
to  do  this  by  contract.  He  drew  a  heart  rending  picture  of  the  massacre  of 
French  troops  during  the  early  days  of  the  war  in  the  Belgian  Ardennes, 
through  the  ignorance  of  the  territory  by  the  French  officers.  He  knew  the 
country  thoroughly,  having  hunted  over  it  from  a  boy,  but  in  spite  of  his  warn- 
ings the  French  officers  rushed  their  men  into  impossible  positions,  w^here  the 
Germans  were  simply  w^aiting  for  them  and  annihilated  them.  Everywhere  I 
hear  the  same  story,  that  the  French  were  unprepared.  The  fact  is  that  a 
democratic  government  is  entirely  unsuited  to  modern  warfare,  and  never  will 
"in  time  of  peace,  prepare  for  war". 

We  reached  Lyons  at  8:30  p.  m.  and  went  to  the  Hotel  Bristol,  near  the 
station,  which  only  serves  breakfast;  so  we  had  to  go  to  a  "brasserie"  next 
door  for  something  to  eat,  although  Nellie  was  so  tired  that  she  could  hardly 
stand  up. 

LYONS,  SUNDAY,  May  16.   1920. 

A  drizzly  day.  The  trams  are  not  running  owing  to  a  strike,  so  we  had 
difficulty  in  getting  a  taxi  motor,  the  driver  saying  he  could  only  take  us  for  a 
short  time  as  he  had  another  job  contracted.  We  wanted  to  see  w^hat  arrange- 
ments we  could  make  to  motor  to  Paris,  500  kilometers  away,  to  avoid  the 
nightmare  of  another  such  railroad  journey  of  eight  or  ten  hours.  We  went  to 
several  garages  and  the  best  we  could  do  was  2'/4  francs  per  kilometer  each 
way,  or  2250  francs   (about  $160.00). 

So  we  gave  it  up  and  went  to  the  station  to  get  our  seats  for  the  train  next 
morning.  Imagine  our  consternation,  dismay,  or  any  stronger  word  that  the 
reader  can  supply,  when  we  learned  that  our  application  was  too  late  and  no 
seat  to  be  had.  It  was  what  Sherman  said  that  war  was.  In  my  despair  and 
against  Nellie's  protest,  I  tried  to  find  the  man  that  would  go  to  Paris  for  $160.00, 
but  he  was  a  free  lance  with  only  one  car  and  off  on  some  job. 

Then  we  thought  of  another  combination.  Nellie  had  learned  the  night 
before  that  there  was  a  train,  not  on  any  time  table,  that  was  made  up  in 
Marseilles  and  passed  Lyons  on  the  way  to  Paris  at  one  o'clock.  By  a  little 
hustling  w^e  could  be  in  time  for  that,  and  if  w^e  found  any  free  seats  in  it,  w^e 
decided  to  take  it  as  far  as  Dijon — 200  kilometers  from  Lyons  and  at  least  that 
much  less  of  a  motor  trip  to  Paris.  And  so  it  came  to  pass.  We  went  to  the 
station  and,  through  the  hotel  porter,  promised  one  of  the  ladies  that  in  Lyons 
supply  the  place  of  Red  Caps,  5  francs  apiece  for  two  seats,  if  she  would  rush 
ahead  of  the  crowd  and  mark  them  for  our  use  with  two  small  pieces  of  baggage, 
supplied  to  her  for  that  purpose.  This  she  did  and  we  started  off  rejoicing.  Not 
much  cause  for  rejoicing  you  may  say,  but  if  you  thought  your  child  had  the 
small  pox  and  found  it  was  only  the  chicken  pox,  wouldn't  you  rejoice? 

Just  as  we  were  going  in  to  the  platform  our  $160.00  motor  driver  rushed 


168 

up,  having  heard  that  we  were  looking  for  him.  I  told  him  that  if  I  did  not  find 
seats  on  the  train  1  would  hire  him — and  how  he  must  have  cursed  the  active 
female  Red  Cap  when  she  returned  without  us. 

The  Lyons  station  master,  whom  1  had  consulted,  said  this  one  o'clock  train 
was  always  crowded,  and  advised  me  to  wait  for  a  slow  train  next  morning  to 
get  to  Dijon.  This  was  on  a  par  with  all  the  other  misinformation  and  rotten 
service  generally  of  the  French  railroads.  The  train  was  almost  empty.  We 
had  the  entire  compartment  to  ourselves  almost  all  the  time  we  occupied  it  and 
none  of  the  other  compartments  were  filled  either.  The  contrast  with  the  day 
before  so  cheered  us  up  and  buoyed  our  spirits,  that  Nellie  suggested  we  should 
stay  right  on  the  train  to  Paris  and  get  it  over  with.  This  is  what  we  did  and 
saw  nothing  of  Dijon  but  the  buffet  of  the  station,  where  we  bought  provisions 
for  our  dinner.  For  that  matter  we  saw  nothing  of  Lyons  either  that  would 
tempt  us  to  locate  there. 

At  Dijon  we  were  reminded  of  a  previous  stop  on  the  way  to  Paris  from 
Geneva  w^ith  Sallie  and  her  girls,  w^hen  the  rest  of  us  went  into  the  restaurant 
and  had  dinner,  but  the  prudent  Sallie  took  no  chances  but  had  a  cold  lunch 
on  the  train,  just  as  Nellie  and  I  did  today. 

In  spite  of  the  bracing  effect  of  our  splendid  isolation  it  was  a  tedious 
journey,  especially  after  dark,  with  no  light  that  one  could  read  by;  but,  helped 
out  by  occasional  naps,  we  reached  Paris  in  very  fair  shape,  at  1  1  :45  p.  m.  The 
cabman  cross  questioned  me  as  to  my  destination  before  he  would  consent  to 
take  us  and  our  hand  baggage  to  a  neighboring  hotel,  recommended  to  us  by  a 
fellow  traveller  as  "convenable"  or  "decent".  Fortunately  it  was  very  near, 
for  he  was  deaf  to  all  entreaties  and  never  took  his  horse  off  a  walk  on  the  way. 

We  secured  the  last,    (and  undoubtedly  the  poorest)    room  and  bath  avail- 
able, and  retired,  cheered  by  the  realization  that  we  were  in  "gay  Paree". 
Mailed  at  Paris,  May    19,    1920. 
Received  at  San  Francisco,  June   7,    1920. 

PARIS,  MONDAY.  May  17,   1920. 

We  woke  up  in  the  "Palace  Hotel  of  Paris  and  Lyons",  as  our  hotel  has 
been  grandiloquently  misnamed,  after  a  very  restful  night.  We  rang  for  coffee 
and  were  brought  chocolate — "owing  to, the  strike  of  the  gas  workers",  which 
did  not  seem  a  satisfactory  explanation.  When  we  got  down  stairs  we  were 
gladdened  by  the  sight  of  motor  taxis  running  in  the  streets,  which  relieved  us  of 
anxiety  on  the  score  of  transportation. 

We  went  first  to  the  Credit  Lyonnais  and  received  our  mail,  of  which  I  shall 
speak  hereafter.  Then  we  drove  to  the  Hotel  Meurice,  but  they  could  give  us 
no  accommodation,  nor  any  prospects  of  any.  We  next  tried  the  Lotti,  with  the 
same  result,  only  that  they  expressed  regret  and  the  hope  that  they  might  be 
able  to  offer  something  in  a  few  days.  Next  we  went  to  Claridge's,  where  we  got 
a  "snippy"  reception  and  no  encouragement.  Then  we  played  our  trump  card 
and  went  to  the  Plaza  Athenee,  which  we  had  avoided  before,  because  our 
previous  correspondence  had  demonstrated  how  very  high  their  prices  were. 
We  took  the  position  that  w^e  had  accepted  their  offer  of  an  apartment  from 
Florence  three  weeks  before,  but  as  they  had  not  confirmed  the  bargain,  as  re- 
quested, we  had  not  notified  them  of  our  coming,  but  still  hoped  they  might 
have  something  for  us.  They  replied  that  they  had  wired  confirmation  (which 
was  corroborated  by  their  telegram  coming  to  us  later  from  Florence  by  mail), 
that  they  were  very  much  crowded,  but  that  under  the  circumstances  they  felt 
a  certain  obligation  to  take  care  of  us  if  we  would  accept  what  they  had  available 


169 

until  they  could  do  better.  So  we  went  to  an  inside  room  on  the  second  floor, 
very  dark  and  gloomy,  from  which  we  w^ere  moved  that  same  afternoon  to  a 
front  room  and  bath  on  the  fifth  floor,  quite  small,  at  150  francs  per  day.  To 
anticipate,  we  progressed  from  there  after  two  days,  to  an  apartment  of  parlor, 
bedroom  and  bath  at  250  francs;  and  after  three  days  more  finally  got  settled 
in  parlor,  two  bedrooms  and  two  baths  at  300  francs  ($21.00),  where  we  are 
now  and  which  was  what  we  engaged  by  telegraph  from  Florence.  The  same 
apartment  on  the  front  of  Avenue  Montaigne  would  be  450  francs,  but  we  prefer 
the  court  as  being  quieter  and  cheaper.  By  the  way,  while  this  gradual  progres- 
sion was  going  on,  we  kept  looking  for  other  quarters,  among  others  the  Wagram 
and  Edward  7th  hotels,  but  found  nothing.  Since  we  have  got  settled,  the  Lotti 
has  telephoned  that  they  could  accommodate  us  and  it  would  undoubtedly  be 
cheaper,  but  we  hate  to  change  as  this  is  one  of  the  best  hotels  in  Paris  and 
we  are  very  comfortable.  The  greatest  objection  we  had  to  it,  except  the  price, 
was  that  it  is  so  far  up  toward  the  Arc  de  I'Etoile,  but  we  have  taken  an 
automobile  (175  francs  per  day  for  50  kilometers)  and  that  makes  it  easy  to 
circulate  everywhere. 

This  first  day  during  our  wanderings  we  dropped  in  at  the  Brighton  to  see 
Gertie  Garceau,   but  she  w^as  out. 

We  also,  as  has  been  my  custom  on  the  first  day  in  Paris,  went  down  to 
Voisin's  restaurant  for  our  first  dinner,  but  w^e  had  no  luck  and  got  an 
expensive,  but  poor,  dinner. 

PARIS,  TUESDAY,  May  18,   1920. 

Henry  had  cabled  to  get  return  passage  immediately  as  there  was  great 
congestion,  so  we  went  down  this  morning  and  first  interviewed  the  White  Star 
Line.  We  wanted  the  Olympic  on  September  8th  but  could  get  nothing  suitable. 
On  the  Baltic,  sailing  from  Liverpool  on  September  29th,  we  could  get  two  good 
cabins  with  bath  between  at  £  370  for  four  passengers  and,  not  knowing  what 
other  lines  could  offer,  we  made  a  conditional  reservation.  Then  we  went  to  the 
Cunard  line  and  for  the  same  accommodation  on  the  Aquitania  they  wanted 
£  440.  The  next  day  we  tried  the  French  line  and  their  rates  were  very  con- 
siderably cheaper,  but  the  only  good  boat  is  the  France,  and  her  schedule  is  now 
so  uncertain  that  we  were  afraid  to  tie  up  to  her.  Finally  we  secured  on  the 
Rotterdam,  of  the  Holland-America  line,  about  which  we  have  heard  splendid 
reports,  one  outside  cabin  with  bath,  amidships,  and  the  adjoining  inside  cabin, 
also  with  bath,  for  £  360,  We  sail  from  Cherbourg  September  15th,  or  Ply- 
mouth September  1 6th,  at  our  option.  So  that  question  is  settled  satisfactorily. 
She  is  a  seven  and  a  half  or  eight  day  boat  and  lands  at  Hoboken,  which  is  in- 
convenient. 

This  afternoon  I  telephoned  to  Dr.  de  Marville  and  made  an  appointment  to 
call  upon  him  tomorrow. 

Nellie  and  I  have  concluded  that  although  massage  ^seems  to  agree  per- 
fectly with  me,  it  would  be  unwise  to  just  let  it  go  at  that  and  not  try  anything 
else,  without  consulting  some  high  medical  authority  while  in  Paris.  So  I  am 
going  to  do  this  through  de  Marville,  one  of  my  good  friends. 

During  the  day  we  dropped  in  again  on  Mrs.  Garceau  and  saw  her  and  her 
little  adopted  daughter.  She  is  a  fine  looking  child  of  seven,  and  is  going  to  be 
put  in  the  Sacre  Coeur  Convent  to  learn  French,  until  vacation  next  July.  In 
the  meantime  Gertie  and  her  sister,  Mamie  Hyde,  will  take  a  trip  to  Switzerland. 
She  invited  us  to  dine  with  her  on  Thursday  and  will  also  ask  Mrs.  John  Drum, 
with  a  view   to   playing  bridge  after   dinner. 


170 

Mrs.  Drum  is  at  the  Hotel  Vouillemont,  where  Marie  Bull  used  to  stop, 
and  has  put  her  boy  in  school.  She  is  doing  Paris  seriously  and  studying  French 
with  Mile.  Lebrie,  whom  she  brought  over  from  San  Francisco  as  her  companion. 
We  had  meant  to  try  for  accommodations  at  this  hotel  but  could  not  remember 
the  name.  It  would  have  been  useless  as  we  have  since  learned  from  Mrs. 
Drum. 

We  took  Gertie  for  an  automobile  drive  through  the  Bois,  which  is  at 
its  best. 

PARIS,  WEDNESDAY,  May   19,    1920. 

Called  on  de  Marville,  who  was  simply  delighted  to  see  me.  He  is  much 
more  American  than  French  in  his  feelings,  but  although  he  had  taken  out 
American  papers,  through  some  complication  due  to  the  war  and  which  I  do 
not  understand,  he  cannot  get  an  extension  of  his  American  passport.  He  put 
me  through  an  examination,  physical  and  oral;  and  also  looked  through  Dr. 
Barker's  report  with  the  addenda  by  Dr.  Cooper.  He  subsequently  arranged  for 
a  conference  on  Saturday  with  Professor  Pierre  Marie,  one  of  the  greatest 
specialists  on   nervous  diseases. 

I  will  anticipate  and  close  up  this  incident.  The  professor  of  medicine  lives 
in  a  very  fine  house  on  the  left  side  of  the  Seine.  He  questioned  me  closely  but 
did  not  make  any  personal  examination  as  de  Marville  had  already  done  so — 
blood  pressure,  lungs,  etc.  and  had  also  furnished  him  with  a  digest  of  the  Barker 
report.  He  did  examine  the  state  of  the  reflexes  of  my  tendons  and  made  me 
execute  some  movements — I  then  retired  and  the  doctors  consulted.  When  I 
came  back  the  Professor  said  that  in  the  first  place  there  was  nothing  in  the 
nature  of  paralysis.  The  main  nerve  centers  were  not  involved  and  only  the 
peripheral  or  extremity  muscles  had  a  tendency  to  contract  or  stiffen.  That  to 
guard  against  the  extension  of  this,  massage  was  strongly  indicated,  but  of  a 
certain  kind,  not  too  strenuous.  In  addition  they  advised  certain  medication, 
internal  and  by  intra  muscular  injection.  This  to  continue  for  about  four  weeks 
w^hen  I  am  to  be  examined  again — price    I  00  francs — cheap  enough. 

On  this  Wednesday  evening  we  w^ent  for  dinner  to  Drouant's  restaurant,  one 
of  our  stand-bys,  kept  now  by  Drouant  fils,  whom  we  had  known  years  ago  as 
one  of  the  Capains  of  the  Knickerbocker  Hotel  Restaurant  in  New  York.  We 
had  a  very  satisfactory  meal  at  a  reasonable  price,  though  not  cheap.  As  far 
as  that  goes,  the  restaurant  of  the  Plaza  Athenee  is  first  class  and  the  prices  much 
cheaper  than  in  New  York. 

PARIS.  THURSDAY,  May  20.  1920. 

Nothing  salient  to  mark  the  day  except  the  dinner  with  Gertie  at  the 
Brighton.  Mrs.  Drum  had  a  bad  cold  so  she  was  replaced  for  dinner  and 
bridge  by  Captain  Evans,  American  naval  attache  here,  whose  wife  is  in  America, 
w^hither  he  proceeds  on  furlough  in  a  few^  days.  We  did  not  take  a  fancy  to 
him  as  he  is  one  of  those  very  positive  individuals,  with  whom  ordinary  discus- 
sion is  difficult.  Also  he  w^as  so  mad  because  I  caught  him  in  a  revoke,  as  to 
be  rather  rude. 

I  received  a  letter  from  a  young  man  named  F.  Bromley  Jansen,  who  is  the 
grandson  of  the  late  old  "Uncle  George  Bromley"  the  famous  Bohemian  Club 
man,  and  whose  mother  and  sister  live  in  the  Forest  Hill  tract,  asking  for 
assistance  until  he  can  enter  on  the  duties  of  a  place  that  is  promised  him  June 
1st,  as  head  of  the  infirmary  connected  with  the  staff  of  a  large  American 
Cemetery,  from  which  the  bodies  are  being  shipped  home.  I  replied  that  if  he 
could  give  me  satisfactory  proof  that  he  had  secured  the  position,  I  would  lend 
him  the  $50.00  asked  for.     This  he  did  later,  and  I  let  him  have  the  money. 


171 

PARIS,  FRIDAY.  May  21,    1920. 
We  went  to  the  Maison  de  Blanc  and  picked  out  a  lot  of  pocket  handker- 
chiefs,  which  are   the   standard   present   that   I   always   bring   home   to    my    male 
relatives  and  friends.      We   also   took  a   drive  in   the  Bois   during  the   afternoon. 

PARIS,  SATURDAY,  May  22,    1920. 
We  found  a  lot  of  mail  aw^aiting  us  on  our  arrival  in  Paris  and  some  more 
has  dropped  in   day  by  day  so   that  I   now  have   to  acknowledge   the   following: 

M.D.O.  April  1 9th,  April  30th  and  May  9th  (latter  No.  23).  As  usual 
a  long  list  of  deaths;  Grace  Buckley;  young  Blythe  Rogers  of  Vancouver; 
Thieriot;  Grant  Walker  and  Cazotte.  The  latter  I  do  not  remember.  I  also 
learned  from  other  sources  of  the  deaths  of  Leon  Sloss,  Alexander  Heyneman 
and  Percy  Morgan.  It  is  appalling  and  depressing.  Fortunately  there  was 
other  interesting  and  less  tragic  news  in  her  letters. 

S.S.W.  April  1  1th,  I4th,  18th  and  25th  and  May  2d  and  9th.  We  have  to 
"hand  it"  to  Mrs.  W.  as  a  correspondent.  The  little  incident  of  Buddy  going  over 
to  Oakland  with  Marie  Louise  and,  because  he  had  heard  she  was  to  meet  us, 
expecting  to  find  us  there  and  crying  with  disappointment,  is  quite  touching. 
Nellie  will  answer  her  letters,  except  that  I  w^ill  write  Harry  about  getting  her 
Sea  Products  Company  stock. 

B.A.O.  April  20th  and  cables  May  23rd  and  27th.  I  feel  quite  uneasy 
about  his  health  and  the  cable  that  he  expects  to  take  tw^o  weeks  rest  soon  does 
not  reassure  us,  as  we  have  been  hearing  the  same  story  for  months.  Ben  owes 
it  to  himself  and  to  his  family  to  rest  up  immediately  for  several  weeks.  If  neces- 
sary have  Pardonner  come  up  to  take  charge  of  the  office  temporarily.  The 
raw  sugar  supply  is  assured  for  months  ahead,  and  Benny  writes  me  that  the 
Refinery  now  gives  no  worry,  so  that  there  is  no  excuse  for  further  delay. 

I  am  glad  that  Ben  and  Robbie  are  going  to  Garden  City  for  the  hot 
weather. 

H.T.O.  April  29th,  May  7th  and  8th  and  four  cablegrams.  (Mails  are  too 
slow  for  him).  We  now  expect  the  girls  to  sail  definitely  on  the  29th.  I  will 
present  his  letter  of  introduction  to  Ambassador  Wallace  and  am  glad  that 
Grayson  is  writing  to  him  and  to  Davis.  It  is  mainly  on  account  of  the  girls 
that  we  will  want  to   use   these   introductions. 

M.P.O.  A  very  nice  letter  of  May  4th  thanking  us  for  taking  charge  of 
Adeline. 

H.N.S.  March  26th  and  April  15th.  We  are  both  very  thankful  for  his 
attention  to  our  affairs.  Nellie  will  answer  his  letters,  except  that  I  will  write 
him  about  Sea  Products  Company  stock.  The  move  of  establishing  a  second 
station  up  the  Coast  is  excellent.  I  had  thought  of  writing  to  suggest  this,  in 
order  to  make  hay  before  the  inevitable  competition  gets  going. 

B.O.S.  May  3rd.  We  were  beginning  to  be  afraid  that  he  had  contracted 
writer's  cramp  but  his  very  interesting  letter  reassures  us.  58  cents  working 
expenses  and  93  2/10  lbs.  granulated  per  100  lbs.  of  96  test  is  just  as  good  as 
I  want,  and  makes  me  feel  perfectly  easy  regarding  my  recent  purchase  of  stock. 

H.R.D.  April  15th.  Regarding  a  European  agent  for  buying  beet  seed. 
I  will  reply  as  soon  as  I  get  some  promised  figures  from  Edward  Howe,  but  my 
first  impression  is  that  we  do  not  need  a  purchasing  agent  in  Europe. 

E.C.H.  April  6th,  21st,  23rd,  29th.  I  will  reply  separately.  I  hope 
Marjorie  will  have  no  bad  effects  from  her  operation  for  appendicitis. 


172 

Herrod.  April  12th  and  27th  with  interesting  data  that  keep  me  quite 
in   touch  with   ofiFice  affairs. 

Miss  Slusher.  February  17th,  April  13th,  29th  and  May  3rd.  With  state- 
ments of  bank  accounts  that  I  have  not  had  time  to  examine  yet.  I  am  cabling 
Mr.  Stetson  today  to  confer  with  her  and  take  charge  of  paying  for  the  Cadillac 
limousine  when  necessary  to  make  sure  of  its  delivery.  Please  ask  New  York 
office  to  send  me  Willett  &  Gray  every  week,  as  this  will  save  nearly  ten  days 
time. 

Stewart.  April  14th  and  Ruopp,  April  28th.  I  will  write  when  1  have  time 
to  study  this  matter  further.  In  the  meantime  I  want  Miss  Slusher  to  write  them 
to  place  the  matter  before  Mr.  Howe  the  next  time  he  is  in  California. 

Alex.  Fick.      March   26th,   subject  beet  seed. 

Adele  Keeney,  Philadelphia,   May  2nd. 

Mrs.  Russell  Wilson,  May    1st. 

Marian  Lord,  April    1 4th. 

Carrie  Green,  Florence,  May    13th  and    19th. 

This  makes  a  grand  total  of  forty-five  letters  and  telegrams,  besides  letters 
enclosed,  which  is  certainly  a  record  week's  bag;  and  not  one  of  them  without 
interest.  I  am  reciting  in  the  diary  the  correspondence  we  receive,  not  for  the 
interest  that  it  has  for  our  readers,  but  for  the  pleasure  it  will  afford  Nellie  and 
myself  to  have  this  record  in  future  years. 
Mailed  Paris,  May  28,  1920. 
Received  San  Francisco,   June    16,    1920. 

PARIS.  SUNDAY,  May  23,    1920. 

Yesterday  we  lunched  at  the  Spanish  restaurant,  Rue  du  Helder,  w^hich  I 
always  enjoy.  That  w^as  also  the  day  of  my  consultation  with  Professor  Marie. 
Also  it  w^as  on  that  day  that  I  cabled  Ben  about  remittance  to  Lamborn  and 
asking  him  about  his  health. 

Today  in  the  forenoon,  Lansing  Tevis  called  and  stayed  to  lunch.  He  has 
just  arrived  on  a  hurried  business  trip  from  London,  where  he  left  his  wife. 
They  had  already  been  in  Paris  and  went  to  London  by  aeroplane.  This  method 
of  travel  is  no  novelty  to  him.  As  I  understand  it,  he  has  been  sent  over  here 
by  the  President  or  Chairman  of  his  Boston  company,  as  a  sort  of  personal 
representative,  to  look  over  the  ground  and  ascertain  the  prospects  for  the 
introduction  of  their  electrical  and  other  specialties.  He  also  wants  to  sell  the 
rights  for  a  vegetable  dehydrating  process  in  which  his  father-in-law  is  interested. 
This  latter  he  thinks  he  has  accomplished.  In  fact,  as  he  himself  said,  he  has 
perhaps  too  many  irons  to  keep  hot.  He  gave  an  exhibition,  at  which  I  was 
present,  of  a  small  two-horse  power  gasoline  tractor,  guided  by  the  operator  on 
foot,  with  handles  like  a  plow,  to  which  can  be  attached  cultivating  tools  or  a 
lawn  mower.  It  is  an  interesting  little  machine,  but  the  Frenchmen  present 
thought  it  too  small  for  this  market.  Lansing  says  they  can  readily  design  a 
five-horse-power  model,  which  would  be  more  practical  for  vineyard  work. 

In  the  evening  Mrs.  Drum  and  Gertie  came  to  dine  with  us  and  play 
bridge.  They  never  got  a  single  rubber  and  we  took  over  200  francs  from  each 
at  one  cent  a  point. 

In  the  afternoon  we  went  to  the  Jardin  des  Plantes  to  see  the  menagerie, 
but  the  crowds  were  so  great  that  we  gave  it  up  and  went  to  the  Bois  for  a  turn 
instead.  We  also  went  to  the  Salon  and  looked  over  part  of  the  exhibits  until 
we  got  tired.  There  are  some  very  gruesome  war  pictures,  and  the  proportion 
of  figures,   compared  to  landscapes,  is  greater  than  1  remember  in  the  past,  and 


173 

I  prefer  landscapes.  Across  the  street  is  the  other  Salon  exhibit  of  the  advanced 
school;  futurists,  cubists,  etc.  I  must  visit  it  but  expect  no  pleasure  from  the 
inspection. 

PARIS,  MONDAY,  May  24.  1920. 
This  is  a  holiday  and  Dr.  de  Marville  has  obtained  permission  to  visit  the 
Chateau  de  Maintenon  and  the  Chateau  de  Rambouillet.  The  latter  is  the 
property  of  the  State  and  is  now  used  by  the  President  of  the  Republic.  Mr. 
Deschanelles,  after  his  recent  accidental  fall  from  the  railroad  carriage,  has 
gone  there  to  recuperate.  We  took  our  motor  and  with  the  Doctor  and  Gertie, 
made  a  day  of  it  and  saw  them  both.  The  grounds  of  the  Chateau  of  Madame 
de  Maintenon  are  perfectly  beautiful,  the  moat  and  the  stream  that  fills  it  giving 
an  added  charm,  as  also  the  ruins  of  the  old  aqueduct  that  Louis  XIV  began,  to 
furnish  water  to  Versailles,  but  never  finished.  We  also  passed  in  front  of  the 
Chateau  de  Dampierre  and  the  Chateau  de  Cernay,  the  latter  connected  with  the 
ruined  walls  of  an  abbey  of  the  12th  Century  and  belonging  to  the  Rothschilds. 
We  lunched  very  satisfactorily  at  a  wayside  inn  and  did  not  get  back  before 
8:30  p.  m.,  after  a  rather  tiresome  but  very  enjoyable  day. 

PARIS,  TUESDAY,  May  25,   1920. 

Nellie  had  been  in  telephonic  communication  with  Mrs.  Captain  Erskine- 
Bolst  (Mrs.  Ryer)  and  we  lunched  with  them  at  the  Ritz  today.  She  looks 
remarkably  well  and  he  seems  a  very  nice  fellow.  He  is  strictly  teetotal  owing 
to  a  bad  dose  of  poison  gas  that  he  got  during  the  war.  He  is  a  few  years 
younger  than  she,  but  this  fact  is  not  apparent.  It  appears  that  he  be- 
haved very  well  regarding  the  marriage  settlement,  insisting  on  signing  papers 
that  will  leave  all  her  money  to  Doris.  They  seem  very  happy,  but  he  is  leaving 
to  visit  Mrs.  Seth  Barton  French  at  Beaulieu,  while  she  remains  behind  until 
Callot  can  cover  her  nakedness,  as  she  has  "nothing  to  wear". 

We  are  having  an  extremely  quiet  time  here,  and  I  enjoy  the  rest.  In  the 
morning  I  have  very  scientific  massage,  and  I  feel  that  the  stiffness  of  the  muscles 
of  my  arm  and  hand  has  been  further  relieved  considerably,  though  I  cannot  as 
yet  see  any  marked  improvement  in  the  nerves.  After  the  massage,  Dr.  de 
Marville  usually  drops  in  and  gives  us  both  "piqures"  of  appropriate  medicines. 
In  addition  to  this  I  am  taking  drops  twice  a  day  for  four  days  and  then  cease 
for  three  days.  By  this  time  it  is  generally  10:30  and  we  go  down  to  do  the 
various  errands  that  always  seem  necessary.  As  an  example,  it  took  con- 
siderable time  to  get  the  cards  of  identity  that  we  will  need,  especially  when  we 
want  to  leave  France,  and  we  are  not  even  now  quite  through  with  that.  Five 
photographs   each   were    necessary. 

We  then  generally  go  back  to  the  hotel  for  lunch,  and  finish  up  our 
business  in  the  afternoon.  We  also  generally  dine  in  the  hotel  and  several 
times  have  taken  a  walk  in  the  evening.  We  have  not  been  to  the  theatre 
since  we  came  here.      I  am  perfectly  contented  to  take  it  easy  for  a  while. 

PARIS,  WEDNESDAY,  May  26,  1920. 
Today  we  went  by  appointment  to  consult  an  aurist  of  repute  about  Nellie's 
hearing,  which  seems  to  have  failed  somewhat  more,  and  particularly  to  ask 
him  if  he  thought  that  any  of  the  several  devices  advertised  for  the  deaf  would 
help  her.  As  to  this  latter  he  said  emphatically  that  it  would  be  money  thrown 
away,  although  no  harm  could  come  from  their  use  if  she  desired  to  try  one 
of  them.  He  further  said  that  he  could  recommend  no  treatment  for  her  case 
but  that  he  could  give  her  this  much  encouragement,  that  he  did  not  think  there 
would  be  any  further  marked  decline  in  her  hearing. 


174 

In  the  evening  we  dined  with  Dr.  de  Marville.  Gertie  was  to  have  beei> 
there  also  but  was  prevented  by  a  bad  cold.  Those  present  besides  us  were  a 
Scotch  patient,  who  has  lived  long  in  Texas;  a  French  lady  whose  name  I  forget 
and  a  young  lady  who  was  Miss  de  Marville's  companion  and  who  now  remains 
in  the  Doctor's  household  as  a  sort  of  Secretary  and  housekeeper.  She  is  one 
of  a  family  of  ten  that  the  Doctor  has  known  intimately  for  many  years.  We  had 
a   good  dinner. 

I  forgot  to  mention  in  its  place  that  Emilie  Condamin,  in  her  gratitude, 
insisted  on  giving  me  what  she  says  is  the  original  miniature  of  Grandmother 
with  her  two  little  boys,  father  and  Uncle  Henry.  It  is  on  the  cover  of  a  round 
tortoise  shell  box,  about  three  inches  in  diameter  by  one  inch  deep.  The  tortoise 
shell  has  a  small  gilt  pattern  all  over  the  sides  and  bottom.  I  told  her  we  also 
had   one   that  belonged  to   Henry,   but  she   maintains  that  it   is  a   copy. 

PARIS,  THURSDAY,  May  27,  1920. 
Today  we  completed  our  handkerchief  order  with  the  "Grande  Maison  de 
Blanc"  and  also  had  another  interview^  with  the  police  department  about  our 
identity  papers.  The  lady  clerk  who  was  filling  out  our  application  blank  asked 
Nellie  "What  city  was  your  Papa  born  in?"  and  then,  "What  city  was  your 
Mama  born  in?"  When  Nellie  answered  to  this  latter  that  she  did  not  know,  the 
lady  filled  in  "London",  saying  to  me  in  an  aside — "I  must  fill  in  something  and 
as  the  good  lady  is  dead  I  can  do  her  no  injury  by  putting  down  London". 

We  continue  enjoying  our  limousine  very  much.  We  have  a  very  satis> 
factory  chauffeur,   Francois  Melon  by  name. 

PARIS,  FRIDAY,  May  28,  1920. 
Sacha  Kolowrat  called  upon  us  as  soon  as  he  got  back  from  Italy.  He  is  a 
man  of  thirty-four,  with  a  good  face  but  abnormally  stout,  though  with  a  big 
frame  that  carries  it  off  fairly  well.  He  wears  a  small  mustache.  He  speak& 
English  more  than  fairly  well,  French  rather  better  and  seven  other  languages. 
His  estate  of  Dianaberg,  near  Marienbad,  is  in  Szecho-Slovakia  and  that  is  why 
he  can  circulate  freely  in  France.  There  is  a  legal  decree  confiscating  the  large 
estates  in  that  country  but  it  has  only  been  partially  enforced,  and  not  at  all  yet 
as  far  as  hp  is  concerned.  But  he  wants  to  be  prepared  for  the  worst  and  so  he, 
principally,  and  his  two  brothers  as  his  associates,  are  devoting  themselves  to 
manufacturing  enterprises.  He  is  at  the  head  of  the  largest  cinematograph  film 
producing  company  of  Austria.  The  largest  automobile  factory,  the  Laurin- 
Klemint,  which  turns  out  two  thousand  high  grade  motors  a  year,  and  with  a 
much  larger  capacity  if  they  could  get  labor  and  material.  Also  he  has  started 
making  recently  a  gasoline  plowing  tractor  of  high  power  which  he  is  just 
introducing  in  France,  having  already  sold  two  hundred  within  the  first  few 
months.  He  is  intelligent  and  energetic  and  impresses  one  more  as  a  hustling 
American  than  a  titled  Austrian.  He  took  me  out  today  to  see  his  tractor  in 
operation  and  I  was  very  well  impressed.  He  is  going  to  America  about  the  end 
of  June  for  a  twofold  purpose;  First,  to  close  a  contract  with  a  large  American 
film  corporation  (the  Leading  Players,  I  think)  for  the  production  of  their  films 
in  Austria  or  perhaps  in  all  Europe;  Second,  to  attempt  to  establish  a  claim  ta 
American  citizenship,  on  the  score  of  having  been  born  in  the  United  States. 
This  in  order  to  defeat  the  confiscation  of  his  estates.  He  is  counting  on  "Uncle 
Henry's"  (as  he  calls  him)  help  in  this  matter.  I  told  him  he  would  surely  get 
that  but  that  I  thought  his  chances  very  poor. 

He  also   plans  to  take  one  of  his   plowing   tractors  over   for   denvonstratioR, 


175 

with   the    idea    of   arranging   with   an    American    company    to    manufacture   them 
under  royalty. 

His  mother  had  telegraphed  him  that  "Oxnard  was  in  Europe"  and  to  see 
him  and  invite  him  to  Bohemia.      When   he  met  me   he   expected   to  see  Henry. 

But  Nadine  knew  it  was  I,  for  today  I  received  a  letter  from  Joseph  at 
Territet,  who  had  heard  from  her  that  I  was  in  Europe.  This  letter  was  written 
before  he  could  have  gotten  my  letter  of  condolence  for  Jack's  death.  He  speaks 
of  his  health  being  a  bar  to  travel  and  hopes  we  will  pay  him  a  visit  at  Territet. 
If  we  go  to  Switzerland  we  will  do  so,  and  in  any  event  I  personally  will  try  to 
take  the  trip  to  see  him. 

PARIS.  SATURDAY.  May  29.    1920. 

Today  I  took  advantage  of  being  able  to  get  an  English  stenographer  to 
dictate  a  number  of  letters,  among  others  to  Ben,  Henry,  Harry,  Colonel  Duval. 
Edward  Howe,  etc.      This  took  up  most  of  the  afternoon. 

We  have  had  almost  no  American  mail  this  week.  Three  from  Edward 
Howe  of  13th,  14th  and  15th  on  business,  mostly  beet  seed,  and  one  from 
Henry  of  21st.  In  this  he  suggests  that  if  I  will  send  my  diary  to  Ben's  secretary 
in  New  York,  who  has,  as  he  expresses  it,  "time  to  burn",  she  can  send  out  the 
copies  to  San  Francisco  without  any  loss  of  time  to  those  there  and  with  a  gain 
of  ten  days  or  two  weeks  to  Ben  and  himself.  This  seems  sound  reasoning  and 
I  will  act  on  it.  first  writing  to  Ben  that  he  may  be  prepared.  Therefore  this 
is  the  last  diary  that  Miss  Slusher  will  receive,  except  a  copy  for  my  files  from 
New  York.  I  want  to  thank  her  for  the  care  and  trouble  she  has  so  cheerfully 
taken  in  my  behalf. 

The  value  of  the  Franc  in  American  Exchange  has  been  steadily  rising 
since  we  got  here  and  is  now  about  12 J/2,  as  against  25  lire,  for  one  dollar,  that 
we  obtained  in  Rome.  So  that  alone  would  make  things  twice  as  expensive 
here.  But  in  addition,  most  prices  here  in  francs  are  roughly  double  what  they 
were  in  lire  in  Italy,  so  that  our  expenses  have  really  increased  fourfold.  I  am 
sometimes  tempted  to  buy  enough  francs  for  our  estimated  needs,  even  at  1 2, 
because  I  saw  such  beautiful  crops  when  in  the  country  with  Kolowrat  that  they 
must  improve  the  national  French  financial  situation.  It  is  hard  though  to 
accept  12,  when  so  recently  I  could  have  gotten  1  6  to  17.  By  the  way  Kolowrat 
says  he  is  investing  all  his  surplus  in  German  marks,  which  he  considers  the  best 
speculation  in   the   world. 

Speaking  of  speculation,  Ben  has  my  greatest  sympathy  in  having  the 
responsibility  of  steering  the  Savannah  Refinery  next  year  through  the  wild  storm 
of  speculation  that  is  going  on  in  sugar.  Everyone  knows  that  some  time  the 
price  of  sugar  will  drop — say  75  percent.  The  refinery  must  have  a  large  stock 
of  sugar  to  keep  operating, — it  cannot  always  work  on  toll.  In  the  face  of  such 
a  deluge  as  this  position  presents,  everybody  must  get  a  w^etting,  and  the  problem 
is  how  to  avoid  drowning.  It  is  fortunate  to  have  accumulated  a  reserve  of 
profits  to  draw  upon.  Uncle  Sam  however  dips  heavily  into  these  profits,  but 
will  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  subsequent  losses. 

PARIS,  SUNDAY.  May  30,    1920. 

We  had  asked  Kolowrat  to  dinner  tonight  and  decided,  for  the  fourth,  to  ask 
Mrs.  Erskine-Bolst,  who  is  still  waiting  for  "something  to  wear".  Supposedly, 
she  must  have  borrowed  from  a  friend  the  beautiful  dress  in  which  she  appeared. 

As  our  hotel  is  of  the  quiet,  dignified  order,  we  got  a  table  at  the  King 
George  Restaurant,  Place  Vendome,  which  de  Marville  had  touted  as  one  of  the 
liveliest.      We   had  a    good  dinner  and  paid  liberally  for   it,   and  we   had  a    good 


176 

time,  but  the  ladies  considered  the  diners  ordinary.  I  find  that  the  public  dancing 
in  Europe  is  exceedingly  well  done  and  what  I  have  seen  of  it,  perfectly  proper. 
There  is  very  little  spontaneity  about  it — many  of  the  dancers  appear  to  be 
dancing  for  pay  and  not  for  fun.  Blanche  and  Sacha  hit  it  off  very  well.  He 
knows  a  number  of  tricks  and  "society  talents",  which  he  displays  with  eagerness. 
He  likewise  sent  Nellie  some  perfectly  beautiful  roses  next  day. 

In  the  line  of  paying  for  the  dinner,  in  a  different  sense,  Sacha  drinks 
almost  nothing,  to  try  to  get  thin.  Nellie  is  very  prudent,  after  a  cocktail,  and 
Mrs.  Erskine-Bolst  does  not  keep  her  end  up.  It  consequently  devolved  upon  me 
to  see  that  the  wine  ordered  was  not  wasted  and,  as  a  consequence,  I  had  to  feed 
myself  with  soda  mints  at  intervals  that  night. 

Since  I  have  been  under  de  Marville  I  have  gotten  out  of  practice.  He  is  a 
regular  martinet  regarding  alcohol,  especially  cocktails,  and  I  am  so  anxious  to 
give  every  chance  to  the  treatment  for  my  hand  that  I  am  as  meek  as  a  lamb, 
generally,  under  his  guidance.  I  tell  him  though  that  he  has  taken  the  joy  out 
of  life   (in  Paris)    for  me. 

I  have  at  length  secured  The  Net,  by  Rex  Beach,  the  Sicilian  Mafia  story. 
It  is  very  exciting  and  it  brings  into  the  story  the  lynching  of  the  Italians  in 
New^  Orleans,  after  the  murder  of  the  Chief  of  Police. 

PARIS,  MONDAY,  May  31,  1920. 

We  learned  that  La  France  only  sailed  yesterday  from  New  York  and  is 
expected  here  next  Sunday.  We  have  arranged  for  a  room  for  the  girls.  Gertie 
Garceau  has  developed  congestion  of  the  lungs,  w^ith  a  temperature  of  102 
degrees,  and  w^ill  have  to  postpone  her  departure  for  Switzerland. 

Nellie  has  also  developed  a  cold,  whether  taken  from  her,  or  from  Miss 
Kline    (who  dined  with  us),   or  from  the  maid,  she  does  not  know. 

PARIS,  TUESDAY,  June  1.  1920. 
We  went  to  Charvet's  today  and  I  ordered  some  shirts,  some  cravats,  and  a 
"veston"  or  smoking  jacket.  Nellie's  cold  continued  to  trouble  her  so  she 
adopted  the  "heroic"  remedy  of  castor  oil.  It  never  fails  to  give  good  results 
but  it  takes  a  long  time  to  work  up  one's  courage  to  it.  I  also  began  to  have 
pains  in  my  joints,  but  my  nearly  infallible  remedy  lies  along  easier  lines,  naniely 
aspirine.  Nellie  cannot  take  it.  Gertie  says  that  Doctor  Jellinek,  in  San 
Francisco,  once  gave  her  forty  grains  of  aspirine  a  day  consecutively  for  one 
month,  viz,  1 200  grains.  She  claims  this  is  a  record  and  I  believe  it,  even  in 
veterinary  practice. 

PARIS,  WEDNESDAY,  June  2,    1920. 

The  castor  oil  won  easily  and  the  aspirine  ditto,  each  'facile  princeps*  in 
its  own  field.      However  we  did  nothing  but  take  a  drive  and  a  walk  in  the  Bois. 

I  forgot  to  mention  that  Mrs.  John  F.  Winslow  called  when  we  were  out 
some  days  ago  and  left  her  card,  and  those  of  Captain  John  S.  Winslow,  Assistant 
Charge  d'affaires  at  the  Embassy  here.  We  were  very  sorry  also  to  find  her  out 
when  we  returned  the  call.  So  Nellie  has  written,  asking  them  to  tea  on  next 
Tuesday  and  saying  that  Marie  Louise  will  be  here  and  that  she  wants  the  cousins 
to  meet  and  be  friends.      If  he  is  nice,  he  will  be  a  great  acquisition  to  the  girls. 

During  the  afternoon,  Nellie  had  an  attack,  apparently  of  indigestion,  which 
merged  into  a  species  of  bronchial  asthma  that  made  her  very  uncomfortable. 
We  finally  relieved  it,  at  the  Doctor's  suggestion,  by  hot  applications  to  chest 
and  back,  but  she  thinks  it  was  due  to  her  heart  being  over-stimulated  by  the 
hypodermics  that  de  Marville  induced  her  to  take,  although  she  was  feeling  quite 
well.      She  intends  to  take  no  more  of  them. 


177 

PARIS,   THURSDAY.   June   3,    1920. 

Nellie  felt  fairly  well  this  morning.  The  doctor  could  give  no  cause  for  the 
attack  except  to  venture  the  opinion  that  it  had  something  to  do  with  her 
bronchial   trouble. 

I  called  today  on  Embassador  Wallace  to  present  Henry's  letter.  He  was 
very  polite  and  said  that  Cary  Grayson  had  also  written  to  him  about  me.  He 
invited  us  to  call  at  his  house  on  Mrs.  Wallace's  reception  day.  This  I  believe 
is  the  usual  procedure.  He  also  offered  his  services  if  he  could  do  anything 
else    for    us. 

Nellie  felt  so  much  better  that  in  the  afternoon  she  went  with  Miss  Kline 
to  look  up  tapestries  for  our  living  room.  After  that  she  took  her  to  the  Bois, 
in  which  she  had  not  driven  for  several  years.  Then  Nellie  came  back  to  the 
hotel,  where  I  was  engaged  with  my  diary,  and  together  we  drove  to  the  park 
or  forest  of  St.  Cloud,  a   most  enjoyable  way  of  taking  the  air. 

Miss  Kline  has  lived  here  since  she  left  San  Francisco,  twenty  years  ago, 
and  earns  a  precarious  living  by  writing,  for  a  syndicate  of  American  papers, 
articles  on  novelties  that  appear  in  Paris,  whatever  that  may  mean.  Her  en- 
gagement is  only  by  the  week,  so  that  she  is  afraid  to  skip  a  week  and  conse- 
quently she  has  not  had  a  vacation  since  before  the  war.  Still  she  was  more 
cheerful  and  vivacious  the  other  evening  than  most  people  with  a  large  and 
assured  income. 
Mailed  at  Paris,  June  3,  1920. 
Received  at  San  Francisco,  June  21,    1920. 

PARIS,  FRIDAY  AND  SATURDAY.  June  4-5,    1920. 

The  only  salient  incidents  of  these  two  days  were  luncheon  at  Foyot's,  across 
the  River,  and  an  evening  at  the  Movies  on  the  Champs  Elysees  near  the  Hotel. 
We  saw  two  sensational  films  of  the  same  kind  as  in  San  Francisco.  Nellie  even 
thought  that  the  house  pictures  had  been  taken  in  America,  from  the  furniture, 
doors,  mantelpieces,  etc.,  but  as  the  stars  had  French  names  I  think  she  was 
mistaken. 

We  had  a  delicious  meal  at  Foyot's,  which  is  really  one  of  the  very  best 
restaurants  in  Paris. 

A  thing  that  has  struck  me  as  wonderful  is  that  Paris  makes  exactly  the 
same  impression  on  me  that  it  has  always  done.  If  I  were  an  inhabitant  of 
another  planet,  dropped  here  suddenly,  I  would  get  no  inkling  from  my  surround- 
ings of  the  terrible  ordeal  through  which  the  world  has  just  passed.  I  might 
observe  that  there  seemed  to  be  a  greater  number  of  women  in  mourning  than 
normal,  but  not  so  very  much  greater.  Certainly  not  so  many  women  in  black 
as  in  Italy,  where  it  is  the  fashion  to  dress  that  way.  Very  few  more  wounded 
men  or  cripples  than  normal.  Perhaps  in  French  society  or  French  homes  it 
may  be  different,  but  the  world  of  the  hotels,  restaurants,  shops  and  theatres, 
is  practically   unchanged. 

PARIS,  SUNDAY,  June   6.    1920. 

Today  the  "grandes  eaux",  or  fountains,  of  Versailles  played  for  the  first 
time  since  the  beginning  of  the  war.  It  was  de  Marville  that  told  us  and  we 
invited  him  to  motor  down  with  us  to  see  them  after  lunch.  We  killed  time 
until  the  fountains  opened  up  by  walking  in  the  park,  as  the  crowds  to  visit 
the  Trianon  were  uncomfortably  large.  The  display  was  really  worth  going  to 
see,  particularly  the  fountain  of  Neptune. 

We  dined  at  the  Ritz  with   the  Erskine-Bolsts  and   Jennie  Blair  was  also  of 


r78 

the  party.  Sunday  is  the  gala  day  for  dinner  there  and  it  was  packed  with 
beautifully  dressed  women.  Mrs.  Oelrichs  and  Mrs.  Alexander  were  there.  Our 
table  was  near  the  dancing  room  and  toward  the  end  I  was  kept  on  my  feet  most 
of  the  time,  as  friends  of  Mrs.  Bolst  stopped  on  their  way  to  the  dancing  to  speak 
to  her  and  many  to  congratulate  her. 

We  had  to  leave  the  dinner  early  as  the  train  from  Havre  with  the  girls 
was  due  at  10:20.  When  we  got  to  the  station  we  found  it  was  forty  minutes 
late,  which  later  lengthened  to  nearly  an  hour  and  a  half  late.  Raymond  Armsby 
was  there  expecting  the  Clarks,  and  he  told  us  that  his  mother  had  written  him 
about  Ed  Hopkins'  marriage  without  mentioning  the  name  of  the  bride,  but  say- 
ing that  the  Hopkins  children  were  dreadfully  cut  up  about  it;  Florence,  to  the 
point  of  tears.  Both  he  and  Nellie  were  sure  it  was  Mrs.  Crockett,  but  I  said 
it  was  either  Mrs.  Crockett  or  someone  that  none  of  us  knew.  I  had  a  suspicion 
it  might  be  a  dark  horse,  or  rather  filly,  but  I  had  no  idea  that  she  would  be  so 
decidedly  in  the  aged  class. 

The  Armsbys,  brother  and  sister,  are  keeping  house,  having  rented  the 
apartment  of  the  Countess  of  Limur,  Will  Crocker's  daughter. 

When  the  first  section  of  the  boat  train  came  in,  pandemonium  reigned. 
The  end  of  the  train  was  out  in  almost  pitch  darkness,  and  I  was  very  much 
afraid  1  would  miss  the  girls.  They  w^ere  not  there  and  the  same  thing  w^as 
repeated  with  the  second  section,  on  the  very  end  of  which  I  found  Marie  Louise, 
struggling  to  get  a  porter,  and  then  Adeline.  The  ChaflFraix  party,  augmented 
by  some  relatives  who  met  them  at  Havre,  was  in  the  same  turmoil.  I  had  our 
chauffeur  with  me  and  together  we  all  carried  the  hand  baggage  to  the  motor, 
where  Nellie   had   gone  after  trying  to   find  us   in   the   crowd. 

The  children  look  fine  and  have  had  a  very  fine  trip.  We  soon  got  to  the 
hotel  and  talked  until  nearly  two   o'clock  before   retiring. 

Their  room  is  just  across  the  hall  from  our  parlor,  which  makes  it  very 
convenient. 

PARIS,  MONDAY,  June  7,    1920. 

The  girls  seemed  none  the  worse  for  the  voyage  this  morning  and  anxious 
for  their  baptism  of  fire,  in  the  shape  of  a  trip  through  the  shopping  district. 
As  usual  we  went  to  the  Credit  Lyonnais  for  mail.  In  the  course  of  the  after- 
noon we  called  on  Gertie  Garceau,  who  continues  in  bed  with  some  pus  on  her 
lung,  and  yet  without  any  distinctly  alarming  symptoms.  She  feels  very  much 
discouraged,  as  is  natural,  and  says  if  she  is  to  continue  this  way  much  longer, 
she  will  give  up  the  trip  and  go  home. 

On  the  way  back  1  dropped  off  at  the  hotel  on  account  of  my  massage,  but 
Nellie  took  the  girls  for  a  short  drive  through  the  Bois.  They  sent  flowers  to 
Mrs.  Chaffraix. 

PARIS,  TUESDAY.  June  8,    1920. 

We  all  went  to  have  our  photographs  taken  for  police  and  passport  pur- 
poses, as  they  are  constantly  needed,  in  bunches.  We  had  invited  Mrs.  Skinner 
(Margot  Lelong)  to  lunch  and  spend  the  afternoon  going  the  round  of  shops 
with  the   girls  and  she  accepted. 

We  went  to  Drouant's  and  had  a  very  good  meal.  Mrs.  Skinner  is  not  at 
all  happy  with  her  aunt,  who  is  mean,  autocratic  and  disagreeable  with  her  own 
people.  Apparently,  she  is  charming  to  outsiders  and  then  takes  it  out  of  her 
family.  Mrs.  Skinner  bitterly  regrets  having  accepted  the  invitation  to  spend 
the  summer  at  Clermont-Ferrand,  which  she  did,  as  it  was  thought  a  change 
would   benefit   her   health. 


179 

After  a  time  Nellie  and  I  left  the  girls  and  came  back  to  the  hotel  to  get 
ready  for  Mrs.  Winslow,  they  to  follow  us  later  with  Mrs.  Skinner. 

Mrs.  Winslow  and  Captain  John  came  in  about  5:30  and  stayed  for  about 
an  hour.  Nellie  and  I  entertained  the  mother  mostly,  and  left  the  young  people 
to  get  acquainted.  John  is  a  clean  and  good  looking  boy,  who  made  a  favorable 
impression  on  me.  I  don't  believe  he  is  much  of  a  ladies'  ntan.  He  preferred 
to  live  in  an  apartment  rather  than  a  hotel  in  order  to  be  able  to  entertain  his 
associates,  so  when  his  mother  arrived  she  found  all  the  arrangements  made, 
servants  engaged,  etc.,  and  John  runs  the  house  while  his  mother  is  a  guest, 
(paying  probably  for  everything).  It  is  quite  near  the  Embassy  so  John  goes 
home  to  lunch. 

Mrs.  Winslow  is  going  back  in  September,  but  has  not  her  accommodation 
engaged  yet,  so  we  may  be  fellow  passengers. 

We  dined  upstairs  in  our  sitting  room. 

PARIS,  WEDNESDAY,  June  9,   1920. 

After  getting  our  photographs  we  went  down  to  the  police  station  and  the 
girls  made  their  preliminary  applications,  while  Nellie  and  1  got  our  permanent 
cards. 

We  lunched  at  Emil's,  rue  Ventadour,  which  is  a  very  good  place,  with  a 
special  reputation  for  fish  and  shell  fish. 

After  lunch  we  spent  an  hour  or  so  in  the  Musee  du  Louvre,  which  we 
propose  to  take  this  way  in  sections.  Then,  after  dropping  a  card  on  Mrs. 
Chaffraix,  who  was  out,  we  split  up,  letting  the  girls  look  around  the  shops, 
while  Nellie  and  I  made  arrangements  with  the  American  Express  Company  for' 
a  visit  to  the  battlefields,  with  a  private  motor  and  guide.  We  will  leave  Friday 
morning  and  the  first  day  lunch  at  Soissons.  Then  over  the  Chemin  des  Dames 
to  Rheims,  where  we  spend  the  night.  Saturday  we  go  through  the  Argonne 
forest,  the  large  American  cemetery,  and  on  to  Verdun,  spending  the  night  at 
St.  Menehould,  because  there  is  no  good  hotel  at  Verdun.  Sunday  we  get  back 
to  Paris  via  Chalons,  Chateau  Thierry,  etc.  We  are  not  decided  if  we  will  go 
to  the  Northern  front,  Lille,  etc.,  or  not.  In  any  case  this  would  be  a  separate 
trip. 

After  that  I  went  to  the  Credit  Lyonnais  to  read  the  papers,  while  Nellie 
took  the  girls  to  Mrs.  Vincent,  the  old  lace  shop  in  the  rue  du  Bac,  that  she  is 
so  fond  of. 

PARIS.  THURSDAY,  June   10,    1920. 

Some  mail  straggled  in  these  last  few  days,  as  follows: 

M.D.O.  May  2 1 ,  announcing  the  death  of  Violet  Buckley  and  enclosing 
Caroline's  letter.  I  wonder  if  the  latter  received  a  letter  that  I  wrote  to  her  in 
Marie's  care,  timed  to  arrive  about  April  18th?      Will  Marie  please  let  me  know. 

M.  S.  Wilson,  May  27th,  from  New  York,  thanking  us  for  a  cable  about 
Flora's  operation.  He  was  quite  hopeful  but  Marie  Louise  gave  us  a  different 
impression,   which   she   had   gathered  directly   from  the   nurse. 

Herrod,  May  2 2d,   with  interesting  advices. 

Roupp,  May  1 6th,  with  Tapo  news. 

A.  W.  Oxnard,  owner  of  the  "Rexall  Store",  Portland,  Maine,  who  refers  to 
meeting  me  in  California,  an  incident  1  had  forgotten. 

I  also  got  a  cable  from  Ben,  recommending  participation  in  a  pool  in  Halifax 
Refinery  stock.     I  answered  in  the  affirmative  for  Nellie  and  myself  and  asked  Ben, 


180 

if  possible,  to  offer  participation  to  Sallie  and  Harry.  I  have  not  received  Ben's 
answer  and  as  we  are  leaving  tomorrow  morning  for  three  days,  I  will  not  be 
able  to  hear  until  we  return. 

Additional     letter     received,     H.T.O.,     May     28th,     with    particulars     about 
Adeline's    letters    of    credit.       The    larger    one    I    will    get    from    the    "Comptoir 
National  d'Escompte  de  Paris",  but  the  two  smaller  ones  are  both  in  her  name. 
Mailed  Paris,  June    10,    1920. 
Received  New  York,  June  22,    1920. 

PARIS,  FRIDAY  TO  SUNDAY.  June   11-12-13,   1920. 

These  days  were  occupied  by  our  trip  to  the  battlefields,  of  which  I  shall 
write  a  brief  sketch  within  a  few  days. 

PARIS,  MONDAY,  June   14,    1920. 

At  the  urgent  request  of  Miss  Kline  I  went  to  tea  at  her  hotel.  She  had 
also  invited  Miss  Bolton  (sister  of  Bob  Bolton)  who  has  lived  in  Paris  for  twenty 
years,   and  Gertie  Garceau. 

We  played  a  rubber  of  bridge,  Nellie  and  I  being  successful.  The  girls 
meanwhile  looked  around  the  shops.  We  plan  every  day  to  begin  their  educa- 
tional sight  seeing,  but  so  far  the  only  result  is  a  daily  paving  of  a  section  of  the 
place  that  utilizes  good  intentions,  otherwise  wasted,  for  that  purpose.  I  can 
hardly  count  as  educational  an  evening  spent  at  the  Folies  Bergeres.  I  had 
consulted  de  Marville  and  he  had  said,  "You  can  take  them  there,  but  it  is  the 
limit".  He  was  certainly  correct  as  to  its  being  the  extreme  limit.  "Table 
Stakes"  (Those  that  do  not  understand  this  expression,  are  referred  to  that 
expert  poker  player,  M.D.O.,  for  enlightenment). 

PARIS,  TUESDAY,  June   15,    1920. 

The  salient  feature  of  this  day  was  dining  with  Mrs.  Winslow.  She  had 
invited  Nellie  and  me  only,  saying  she  hoped  to  have  the  girls  another  time. 

Her  son  John  had  been  sent  on  official  business  to  Coblentz  but  he  had 
expected  to  be  back  in  time.      His  place  was  set  but  he  did  not  materialize. 

The  only  other  guests  were  Captain  and  Mrs.  Walter  V.  Cotchett.  He  is 
assistant  military  attache  to  the  Embassy.  He  is  a  very  well  informed  man  on 
current  European  events,  as  he  was  for  two  years  the  military  attache  at  Vienna 
and  he  travelled,  officially  and  extensively,  all  over  the  Balkans.  He  spoke  more 
or  less  guardedly,  but  it  was  easy  to  draw  the  inference  that  he  considers  a  most 
horrible  mess  has  been  made  of  the  settlements  so  far  arrived  at.  For  England, 
France  and  Italy  there  is  at  least,  not  the  justification  but  the  explanation,  that 
they  were  out  for  all  they  could  grab,  but  for  our  part  in  the  tragic  result,  there 
is   neither  justification   nor   explanation. 

He  and  his  wife  knew  the  Kolowrats.  They  remembered  dining  and  playing 
bridge  with  us  at  Sallie's.      Either  he  or  she  must  have  some  independent  means. 

Mrs.  Winslow  has  $7,000  laid  aside,  with  which  she  intends  to  have  a  fine 
portrait  of  John  painted  in  his  uniform.  He  suggested  that  she  buy  an  automobile 
with  it,  but  she  will  not  consent. 

During  the  day  we  met  on  the  street  Dudley  Gunn  of  San  Francisco,  who, 
from  all  accounts,  has  blossomed  out  as  quite  a  man  of  the  world  in  Paris. 

PARIS,  WEDNESDAY,  June   16,    1920. 
This  was  the  reception  day  of  Mrs.  Wallace  at  the  American  Embassy  and 
we  all  four  went  to  pay  our  respects.      The  embassador  was  not  there  but  Mrs. 
Wallace  was  receiving  with  her  niece.      Tea,  chocolate,  etc.  were  served.      There 


181 

was  a  fair  crowd,  but  we  knew  no  one,  as  Mrs.  Wallace  had  to  stay  at  the  door 
to  greet  the  callers.  The  Embassy  is  a  beautiful  house  with  gardens  and  it  was 
a  great  chance  that  they  got  it,  as  it  had  never  been  rented  before.  I  am  told 
by  one  of  the  greatest  experts  on  home  decorating,  to  whom  I  have  the  honor 
of  being  related  by  marriage,  that  it  is  the  best  appointed  private  French  house 
she    has   seen. 

After  a  decent  interval  we  withdrew  and  in  conversation  with  the  hostess 
at  the  door  as  we  left,  she  said  she  remembered  meeting  us  at  a  dinner  in  San 
Francisco  given  by  her  husband's  kinsman.  Judge  Wallace.  It  all  came  back 
to  me  with  the  help  of  Nellie's  memory.  Belle  and  Dick  were  staying  with  her 
father  and  mother,  not  very  long  after  their  marriage. 

Before  we  left  for  the  Embassy,  Dudley  Gunn  called  and  we  invited  him  to 
dine  and  go  to  the  Vaudeville  Theatre,  where  there  is  a  "revue"  that  John 
Winslow  had  recommended.  It  was  only  fair,  except  the  dancing  which  was 
good.  After  the  show  we  were  piloted  by  Dudley  to  the  "Rat  mort",  where 
we  saw  dancing  of  a  different  kind,  all  of  which  the  ladies  enjoyed,  pronouncing 
themselves  well  satisfied  with  their  evening  when  we  reached  home,  considerably 
after  midnight.  It  is  only  within  the  last  few  days  that  dancing  in  public  places 
has  been  allowed  after    10:30   p.m. 

We  were  very  much  astonished  this  afternoon  to  meet  in  the  hall  Mr.  Kelly, 
the  conductor  of  Mrs.  Chisholm,  whom  we  saw  also  soon  after  for  a  short  time. 
We  had  left  her  feeling  very  sick  at  Singapore  and  had  often  wondered  with 
anxiety  what  had  become  of  her.  It  appears  that  she  became  almost  desperately 
ill  after  w^e  left  her;  so  much  so  that  the  doctors  gave  little  hope  of  her  recovery, 
and  the  faithful  Jessie  was  contemplating  having  to  bring  back  to  her  son  only 
her  dead  body.  After  a  time  she  was  able  to  get  to  Ceylon,  where  she  remained 
nearly  three  months,  most  of  this  time  through  inability  to  get  transportation 
onward.  Then  her  voyage  developed  just  in  the  opposite  way  from  ours.  She 
wanted  to  sail  from  Ceylon  and  avoid  the  hot  weather  in  India,  but  she  was 
obliged  to  rush  by  rail  from  Colombo,  through  Madras  to  Bombay,  to  take  there 
the  only  accommodation  procurable.  She  landed  at  Marseilles  and  has  just 
reached  Paris.     She  has  lost  25  pounds  and  looks  very  well  in  consequence. 

PARIS,   THURSDAY,  June    17,    1920. 

I  have  nothing  special  to  record  today  except  an  acknowledgment  of  mail 
received  this  past  w^eek,   as  follows: 

M.D.O.,  June    1st,  with  enclosures  and  interesting  family  details. 

S.S.W.,  May  30.  We  could  not  keep  up  with  the  news  of  our  friends  but 
for  these  faithful  letters  of  Sallie's. 

B.A.O.,  June  1  st.  A  few  lines  just  before  leaving  for  Halifax,  to  enclose  a 
letter  of  January  22d  that  had  been  returned  from  Calcutta.  I  also  got  his  cable 
regarding  the  participation  in  the  Halifax  syndicate. 

H.N.S.,  May  25th.  Many  thanks  for  trouble  taken  and  information  given 
regarding  the  banking  arrangements  and  the  remittance  to  Lamborn.  Also  par- 
ticulars about  Tuxedo,   Golden  Valley,   Sea  Products  and   Cadillac   motor. 

H.T.O.,  June  4th.  We  all  will  be  delighted  if  Brand  Whitlock  can  present 
us  to  King  Albert  and  the  Queen.      Keep  right  after  Grayson  about  this. 

Ruth,  May  28th.  Nellie  has  written  to  tell  her  how  much  we  appreciate 
her  letter. 

H.R.D.,  June  1st,  asking  me  to  investigate  the  recovery  of  ammonia  from 
our  Steffen  waste  waters. 


182 

Marjorie  Streater,   the  little   ex-vendeuae  from  Alphonsine  of  Paris.      Nellie 
hopes  that  Sallie  can  help  her  to  secure  a  position  in  San  Francisco. 
Mailed  Paris.  June    17,    1920. 
Received  New  York  City,  June  29,    1920. 

Our  trip  over  the  Battlefields  took  three  days.  We  started  on  Friday  morn- 
ing and  went  by  way  of  Meaux  to  Soissons,  w^here  we  had  a  very  good  lunch  at 
the  Lion  Rouge   Inn. 

In  the  afternoon  w^e  motored  to  Rheims,  where  w^e  spent  the  night.  The 
second  day  we  went  through  the  Argonne  Forest,  and  then  on  down  to  Verdun, 
continuing  past  that  city  in  the  direction  of  Paris  to  St.  Menehould,  where  we 
spent  the  night  in  a  very  poor  hotel. 

The  next  morning,  Sunday,  we  found  that  we  had  a  broken  spring,  which 
the  chauffeur  should  have  discovered  the  night  before,  and  consequently  it  took 
time,  money  and  persuasion  to  get  anybody  to  work  on  it  that  day,  and  we  were 
lucky  to  get  started  again  after  lunch  for  Chateau  Thierry  and  Paris.  At 
Chateau  Thierry  we  had  more  trouble  with  the  engine,  so  that  not  only  were  we 
hurried,  but  we  did  not  reach  Paris  until  after    1  1    o'clock  at  night. 

To  go  back  now  and  take  up  the  incidents  of  the  trip  more  in  detail:  We 
began  to  get  into  the  war  zone  at  Meaux,  where  200,000  Germans  crossed  the 
Marne  in  the  offensive  that  was  stopped  by  the  first  battle  of  the  Marne.  We  saw 
the  bridge  destroyed  by  the  English  in  their  retreat,  and  noted  the  damage  to 
the  top  of  the  Cathedral  by  the  German  bombardment. 

From  Meaux  to  Soissons  we  were  in  the  region  where  fighting  occurred 
both  in  the  first  offensive  and  then  again  in  the  great  German  push  of  1918, 
when  they  reached  the  Marne  the  second  time.  This  is  the  line  of  the  Ourcq, 
and  it  was  along  this  line  that  Foch  struck  at  the  west  Hank  of  the  German  Army 
when  he  stopped  them  at  Chateau  Thierry.  As  it  turned  out,  this  was  the  be- 
ginning of  the  end.  Along  these  roads  we  passed  through  towns  taken  and  re- 
taken by  the  Germans  and  the  Allies,  American  and  French,  and  during  both  the 
opening  and  the  closing  actions  of  the  war.  We  thought  we  saw  a  good  deal  of 
destruction  in  many  of  the  villages,  but  it  was  as  nothing  compared  with  what 
w^e   saw  later   on. 

Soissons  was  under  intensive  bombardment  twice,  and  what  you  might  call 
ordinary  bombardment  for  a  large  period  of  the  war,  and  the  Cathedral  and 
town  are  badly   damaged. 

From  Soissons  to  Rheims  we  passed  along  the  base  of  the  Ridge  called  the 
Chemin  des  Dames,  as  the  road  was  not  in  good  enough  repair  on  the  top  of  the 
Ridge.  This  ground  was  disputed  more  or  less  actively  for  most  of  the  period  of 
the  war,  and  the  destruction  of  the  villages  along  our  course  was  something 
terrific.  Most  of  them  are  still  abandoned,  and  in  many  cases,  as  the  automobile 
sped  on,  the  guide  would  tell  us  that  w^e  w^ere  going  through  such  and  such  a 
village,  but  the  houses  w^ere  so  completely  ground  to  pow^der  by  the  continuous 
bombardments,  that  the  vegetation  had  grown  over  them  and  you  could  see  no 
town.  These  places,  while  they  still  had  walls  standing  to  invite  attack,  were 
taken  and  re-taken  alternately,  and  fought  for  with  hand  grenades,  man  to  man, 
in  addition  to  the  artillery  destruction. 

We  kept  passing  single  graves,  as  well  as  cemeteries,  where  the  former  are 
gradually  being  concentrated.  We  were  glad  to  see  that  the  American  ceme- 
teries seemed  to  have  the  best  care,  although  the  German  cemeteries  were  the 
only  ones  where,  in  some  cases,  there  were  head-stones  and  other  stone  monu- 
ments. 


183 

Of  course,  the  countryside  was  pitted  with  shell-holes,  but  wherever  the 
land  is  rich  they  have  been  filled  in,  and  where  otherwise  the  wild  vegetation 
that  has  sprung  up  makes  them  less  conspicuous  than  would  otherwise  be 
the   case. 

It  is  also  true  that  the  lines  of  trenches  that  seemed  to  cover  the  whole 
country  have,  to  a  considerable  extent,  washed  in,  and  are  not  nearly  as  deep  as 
they   were   originally. 

The  destruction  of  trees  was  very  great  along  some  stretches.  In  some 
cases  these  trees  had  been  shot  to  pieces,  while  in  others  they  were  dead  owing, 
it  was  explained  to  us,  to  the  gas.  Pine  trees,  particularly,  seemed  to  be  very 
sensitive  to  gas  poisoning. 

We  saw  Chinese  laborers  working  along  the  roads,  and  also  Russian  prison- 
ers, who,  however,  are  paid  current  wages. 

It  was  curious  to  us  to  note  how  small  these  historic  rivers  were,  that  formed 
formidable  barriers  to  attacking  parties  of  either  side.  For  instance,  the  Aisne 
seemed  to  be  about  the  size  of  the  Merced  River  in  the  Yosemite  Valley. 

Shortly  out  of  Soissons  we  passed  a  lot  of  quarries,  which  were  cleverly 
used  by  the  Germans  for  protection  during  the  three  years  when  they  held  that 
line.  At  one  place,  called  Veuilly,  at  the  base  of  the  Chemin  des  Dames,  we 
visited  a  German  underground  hospital  that  had  been  fitted  up  in  the  most 
approved  style,  with  sanitary  tiles,  covered  passage-ways,  and  shafts  communicat- 
ing with  the  surface  at  points  quite  a  distance  away,  for  the  bringing  in  and 
removing  of   the   wounded. 

At  a  point  called  Craonelle,  which,  as  far  as  we  could  see,  was  not  marked 
by  one  stone  standing  upon  another,  we  rose  sharply  up  the  Ridge  to  the  real 
Chemin  des  Dames,  which  we  struck  at  the  ruins  of  the  town  of  Craonne,  also 
invisible,  as  were  the  several  succeeding  ones. 

Thousands  of  miles  of  barbed  wire,  in  the  shape  of  entanglements,  are 
constantly  met  with. 

From  here  we  laid  our  course  down  from  the  Chemin  des  Dames  to  Rheims, 
passing  on  the  way  Berry-au-Bac,  where  a  ruined  sugar  factory  exposed  to  sight 
its  vacuum  pans  and  evaporators,  without  walls  or  roof. 

Near  this  place  we  left  the  motor,  and  a  short  walk  took  us  to  a  point  where 
three  immense  mine-craters  were  in  such  close  proximity  that  their  circum- 
ferences almost  met.  One  of  them  was  a  perfect  inverted  cone  about  80  feet 
deep  and  150  feet  in  diameter.  At  this  point  the  lines  were  so  close  together 
that  the  sappers  on  each  side  burrowed  under  the  respective  enemy  fortifications 
and  blew  them  up. 

Above  all  this  scene  of  carnage,  the  poppies  blow,  and  in  places  grow  so 
luxuriantly  as  to  rival  our  California  wild  flowers. 

We  reached  Rheims  in  time  to  take  a  stroll  through  the  town  by  daylight. 
The  outer  shell  of  the  Cathedral  still  stands,  scored  but  grand,  having  stood 
countless  bombardments  during  the  four  years  of  the  war.  The  greatest  destruc- 
tion, both  to  the  Cathedral  and  to  the  town,  however,  was  done  by  fire — the 
result  of  incendiary  bombs,  and  as  a  consequence,  that  part  of  the  town  reminded 
me  of  San  Francisco  after  the  fire.  In  addition  to  this,  however,  the  walls  of 
houses  all  through  the  town  are  chipped  and  pitted  by  the  fragments  of  explod- 
ing shells. 

The  hotel  at  Rheims,  called  the  Carlton,  was  poor. 

On    Saturday    morning    we    left    Rheims,    again    following    the    trail    of    the 


184 

stationary  warfare,  with  the  opposing  trenches  sometimes  very  close  together, 
sometimes  at  a  distance,  and  went  through  a  very  poor  agricultural  country 
called  in  French  "La  Champagne  Pouilleuse"  (lousy).  Here,  but  little  effort 
has  been  made  by  the  agricultural  population  to  reclaim  the  land,  as  it  is  hardly 
worth  while,  so  that  the  trenches  and  the  barbed  wire  and  the  shell-holes  are 
more  in  evidence.  All  the  villages  are  wrecks,  but  there  is  no  vegetation  to 
cover  up  the  scars. 

We  passed  a  place  called  Tahure,  where  50,000  French  died  at  one  point 
in  an  unsuccessful  offensive.  We  saw  here,  along  the  road,  a  German  machine- 
gun  nest,  consisting  of  a  sort  of  circular  concrete  covered  tank,  sunk  in  the 
ground  so  as  to  leave  only  about  18  inches  visible;  this  space  being  pierced 
laterally  for  machine-gun  fire.  In  one  of  these  nests  a  handful  of  men  could 
inflict  terrible  destruction  on  an  advancing  enemy.  We  also  saw  here  a  machine 
gun  platform  located  in  a  tree-top. 

A  little  further  on  there  was  a  German  tank  that  had  been  put  out  of  action, 
and  our  chauffeur  pronounced  it  a  Mercedes  engine. 

The  road  continues  through  ruined  and  abandoned  villages,  and  also  through 
some  not  so  badly  ruined,  where  some  little  re-construction  work  is  being  done. 
Dug-outs  and  cemeteries  are  constantly  being  passed;  at  one  place,  within  a 
small  area,  the  guide  informed  us  that  there  were  seventeen  cemeteries. 

This  desolate  region  continued  until  we  reached  Vienne-le-Chateau,  on  the 
edge  of  the  Argonne  Forest,  where  we  had  a  most  delicious  lunch.  The  Argonne 
Forest  is  not  as  large  as  I  had  thought,  being  only  about  ten  kilometers  across 
from  East  to  West,  though  longer  from  North  to  South.  The  trees  are  not  large 
but  it  is  a  real  forest  with  thick  undergrowth.  At  one  point  we  left  the  road 
and  walked  into  the  woods  to  the  place  where  Prince  Ruprecht  of  Bavaria  had  a 
most  elaborate  dug-out,  consisting  of  kitchen,  sitting  rooms,  and,  deeper  yet 
underground,  a  shaft  leading  to  his  bed-chamber  and  refuge  during  bombard- 
ment. Around  this  elaborate  construction  were  others  not  quite  so  elaborate  for 
officers,  and  a  little  way  further  along  a  deep  ravine  where,  it  is  said,  that  10,000 
troops  were  absolutely  safe  from  observation,  and  practically  safe  from  even 
chance  shells. 

After  running  out  of  the  forest  we  passed  a  big  mine  crater  which  had 
been  a  village,  and  reached  the  great  American  Argonne  Cemetery  at  Romane, 
w^here  27,000  of  our  boys  w^ere  buried.  It  is  kept  in  splendid  order,  and  a  lot  of 
Russians  w^ere  working  with  a  view  to  still  further  improving  it.  There  is  a 
Y.  W.  C.  A.  Rest  House  there,  where,  I  believe,  a  few  people  can  be  put  up  for 
the   night. 

After  a  time  we  reached  the  River  Meuse,  w^hich,  w^hile  larger  than  the 
Aisne,  still  looks  very  small  compared  to  its  importance.  Here  we  went  through 
the  different  forts  on  the  east  side  of  the  river,  where  the  Germans  gradually 
fought  down  the  French  in  an  endeavor  to  encircle  the  city  on  the  south.  This, 
they  were  not  able  to  do,  owing  to  the  fact  that  although  they  took  the  forts, 
these  were  commanded  by  other  forts  on  the  v^'est  side  of  the  river,  which 
made  the  former  untenable;  so  that  the  Germans  had  to  stop  and  go  back  to  the 
west  side  and  struggle  for  those,  the  whole  offensive  resulting  in  the  death  of 
1,200,000,  of  which  about  700,000  were  Germans  and  500,000  French.  Before 
the  Germans  could  overcome  this  last  obstacle,  the  English  armies  struck  in  the 
North,  and  consequently  no  more  reinforcements  could  be  sent  to  the  Crown 
Prince,  and  the  great  effort  to  take  Verdun  failed. 

While  there  is  a  good  deal  of  destruction  in  Verdun,  we  were  surprised  to 


185 

see  so  much  of  it  standing.  We  could  not  visit  the  top  of  the  citadel  but  we  went 
through  many  of  the  underground  passages,  which  afforded  a  perfectly  safe 
refuge  for  the  French  troops  that  went  out  from  there,  after  resting,  to  relieve 
their  comrades  in  the   forts. 

Continuing  along  westward  from  Verdun,  we  went  to  St.  Menehould,  and 
spent  the  night  at  the  wretched  Hotel  de  Metz.  This  is  where  we  had  the 
episode  of  the  broken  spring,  so  that  it  was  not  until  after  lunch  on  Sunday 
that  we  went  on,  going  through  Chalons  and  its  vineyards,  and  Epernay  with  its 
subterranean  wine-cellars,  which  we  could  not  visit  because  it  was  Sunday. 

We  now  reached  the  valley  of  the  Marne,  which  river  seemed  to  be  from 
100  to  150  feet  wide  along  most  of  its  course.  We  followed  its  south  bank  as 
far  as  Dormans,  which  is  the  easterly  limit  of  the  territory  where  the  Germans 
crossed  over  in  the  last  big  offensive,  the  westerly  limit  being  Gland.  Then  we 
passed  over  to  the  north  side,  and  following  the  river,  went  through  a  large 
number  of  badly  devastated  towns,  gradually  coming  to  the  point  in  the  line 
w^here  the  Americans  were  engaged.  At  a  town  called  Charteves  there  was  a 
big  American  fight.  They  held  the  south  bank  of  the  river  at  Chateau  Thierry, 
and  tried  unsuccessfully  to  prevent  the  Germans  crossing  by  improvised  bridges 
and  boats.  The  German  batteries  knew  their  exact  position,  so  they  were 
pounded  unmercifully.  Raymond  Oxnard,  who  was  a  Lieutenant  in  that  division 
stationed  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  told  me  that  in  his  platoon  of  5  1  men,  there 
were  43  casualties. 

The  Germans  finally  got  across  and  pushed  them  back  some  miles  before 
re-inforcements  came  to  help  them.  Then  Foch  struck  up  north  and  from  that 
time  on  the  Germans  fought  a  terrific  rearguard  action  with  American  and  other 
troops,  until  they  were  pushed  back  to  the  River  Vesle,  where  Raymond  was 
relieved. 

We  passed  through  Chateau  Thierry,  which  is  divided  in  two  by  the  river, 
that  was  not  crossed  at  that  point  by  the  Germans,  and  went  on  to  Belleau 
Wood  and  other  points,  where  the  American  troops  fought  and  distinguished 
themselves. 

It  was  getting  almost  dark  by  that  time  and  we  had  another  accident  to 
the  machinery,  necessitating  our  coming  back  to  Chateau  Thierry  for  dinner, 
and  after   that  running  back   to  Paris  in  the   dark. 

My  impression  of  the  trip  is  summed  up  in  the  words  destruction,  desolation 
and  abomination.  1  would  not  have  missed  it  for  a  good  deal,  but  I  w^ould  not 
take  it  again  for  a  good  deal  more.  No  one  can  go  through  it  without  sympathiz- 
ing in  the  feeling  of  resentment  of  the  French.  They  see  their  own  country 
subjected  to  the  most  barbarous  devastation;  they  know  that  everything  is 
intact  in  Germany  and  yet,  they  find  their  own  allies  very  lukewarm  on  the 
subject  of  reparation. 

PARIS,   FRIDAY,  June    18,    1920. 

This  w^as  a  rainy,  disagreeable  day,  w^ith  the  usual  routine.  First,  Dr.  de 
Marville's  visit  about  10  to  10:30,  when  he  gives  me  a  hypodermic  and  massages 
my  left  hand  and  arm,  both  with  his  fingers  and  w^ith  a  vibrator.  Next,  the 
whole  crowd  troops  downtown  to  the  Credit  Lyonnais  in  the  motor  for  mail  and 
then  scatters  for  shopping,  but  gathers  together  for  lunch  either  at  one  of  the 
many   restaurants,   or  at   the   hotel. 

After  lunch,  again  to  the  shopping  district  or  other  errands, — -occasionally, 
some    sight-seeing   or    gallery. 

I,  personally,  always  return  for  my  regular  massage  from  5:30  to  6:30  and 
then   rest  until  dinner-time. 


186 

Dinner  is  generally  in  the  hotel,  not  infrequently  in  our  sitting-room,  but 
sometimes  we  go  to  an  outside  restaurant, occasionally,  to  the  theatre. 

It  is  strange  how  the  above  schedule  apparently  keeps  us  busy.  The  girls 
say  they  are  having  a  fine  time  and  don't  care  whether  we  go  away  from  here  or 
not,  but  of  course,  we  want  them  to  see  and  do  something  worth  while  during 
the  next  three  months. 

Our  present  plan  is  to  go  to  England  at  the  end  of  the  month.  From  there 
to  Holland  and  back  to  France  through  Belgium.  Before  settling  down  again 
in  Paris,  we  will  probably  spend  a  couple  of  weeks  at  some  French  watering 
place   or   places. 

This  will  bring  us  to  about  the  middle  of  August  and  will  give  us  a  solid 
month  in  Paris  for  the  wind-up. 

PARIS,   SATURDAY,   June    19,    1920. 

Today,  I  had  an  interview  with  a  Mr.  Vasseux,  a  chemist,  who  has  made  a 
special  study  of  the  utilization  of  the  waste  waters  from  the  distilling  of  beet 
molasses  here.  He  has  patented  a  process  by  which  he  claims  to  recover  80% 
of  the  ammonia  contents.  This  is  the  problem  that  Col.  Duval  wants  me  to 
investigate.  He  is  very  suspicious  and  afraid  of  "opening  up",  for  fear  that  we 
will  steal  his  invention.      It  will  be  hard  to  do  business  with  him. 

In  the  evening  w^e  went  to  the  Opera  House  to  see  a  French  adaptation  of 
Shakespaere's  "Antony  and  Cleopatra".  The  Orchestra  music,  especially  writ- 
ten for  it,  was  dry  as  a  chip  and,  altogether,  we  did  not  enjoy  it  much. 

PARIS,  SUNDAY,  June  20,    1920. 

Today,  the  great  Steeplechase  of  the  year  was  run  at  Auteuil.  We  all  went 
except  Adeline,  who  preferred  to  attend  to  her  correspondence  that  afternoon. 
We  took  Mrs.  Chisholm  in  her  place.  Unfortunately,  we  did  not  start  until  1  :30 
and  the  jam  of  automobiles  was  such  that  it  was  after  two  o'clock  before  we 
reached  the  track.  By  that  time  every  seat  in  the  grandstand,  even  every 
available  inch  of  standing-room  on  the  steps  was  taken.  I  offered  to  pay  20 
Francs  apiece  for  chairs  but  the  waiters  could  not  get  me  a  single  one.  The 
ladies  managed  to  get  standing  room  on  the  steps  of  the  grand-stand  and  I  spent 
my  time  hunting  for  chairs  during  the  first  two  races.  The  great  race  was  the 
third  and  Mrs.  Chisholm  and  Nellie  stuck  it  out  on  their  perch,  battling  incessant- 
ly with  jostling  and  complaining  French  men  and  women,  while  Marie  Louise 
and  I  went  into  the  paddock  to  see  the  horses  and  make  a  bet.  After  that  we 
got  down  on  the  lawn  near  the  rail  and  saw  parts  of  the  race.  We  backed  the 
English  horses  to  win  and  place  but  two  French  horses  ran  1st  and  2nd  to  the 
immense  delight  of  the  huge  crowd. 

We  started  to  go  home  immediately  after  this  race  but  had  to  wait  at  the 
gate  nearly  an  hour  before  being  able  to  get  our  motor.  Altogether  the  day 
was  a  failure,  only  retrieved  for  the  ladies  by  the  sight  of  pretty  gowns. 

It  is  impossible  to  secure  seats  ahead,  so  next  Sunday,  for  the  Grand  Prix, 
we  will  start  very  early.  I  will  go  with  the  chauffeur  so  as  to  know  myself 
exactly  where  he  is  parked,  and  then  if  we  cannot  get  seats,  we  will  give  it  up 
at  once. 

To-night,  we  took  the  girls  to  dine  at  the  "Ritz"  and  they  had  a  sight  of 
the  gay  crowd  and  of  the  celebrities,  including  King  Alexander  of  Greece  and 
his  Queen,  who  were  at  the  next  table  to  us.  He  was  in  ordinary  evening 
dress.  John  Winslow  was  there  with  a  party  of  young  people  and  seemed  very 
devoted  to  an  attractive  looking  girl  that  we  thought  was  French.      His  mother, 


187 

the  other  evening,  made  several  allusions  to  the  fact  that  she  hoped  John  would 
not  marry  a  French  girl.  He  danced  once  with  Marie  Louise  but  was  not  at  all 
effusively  polite  to   our  party. 

PARIS,  MONDAY,  June  21,   1920. 
Routine   day,    except   that  we   went   to   see   the    "Pantheon   de   la   Guerre**   a 
panorama   that  contains  hundreds    (they   claim   thousands)    of  portrait   figures  of 
the  principal  personalities  of  all  the  warring  countries,  grouped  by  nations  around 
the  circumference.      It  was  very  interesting. 

PARIS,  TUESDAY,  June  22,    1920. 

We  went  to-night  to  hear  "La  fille  de  Mdme.  Angot'"  played  by  a  fair 
troupe.  The  children  had  never  heard  it  before  and  we  enjoyed  the  evening. 
Going  out  into  the  foyer  and  refreshment  room  between  the  acts  also  interested 
them. 

PARIS,  WEDNESDAY,  June  23,    1920. 

We  gave  a  dinner  at  "La  Tour  d  'Argent**  to-night,  to  which  we  invited 
Dr.  de  Marville,  Gertie  Garceau  and  Miss  Kline,  making  seven  in  all. 

We  had  ordered  the  same  menu  that  I  always  have  there,  namely, — Filets 
de  Sole  Cardinal,  and  Canard  a  la  Presse.  It  took  tw^o  ducks  for  so  large  a  party 
and  there  was  not  a  scrap  left.  To  eat  with  the  ducks*  legs,  which  are  always 
broiled  and  served  separately,  I  dressed  one  of  my  lettuce  and  tomato  salads. 
This,  also,  was  praised  and  partaken  of  freely.  The  meal  was  "arrose  de**  white 
wine  and  champagne.  Everybody  felt  that  he  or  she  was  in  the  hands  of  his  or 
her  friends,  and  we  had  a  fine  time.  It  was  a  treat,  such  as  Miss  Kline  said  she 
had  not  enjoyed  for  years. 

Gertie  is  leaving  to-morrow  for  Vichy  for  a  couple  of  weeks  and  then  goes 
to  Switzerland,  so  that  we  shall  not  meet  again  on  this  side  of  the  water.  She 
seems   completely   recovered. 

PARIS,  THURSDAY,  June  24,    1920, 

We  are  spending  most  of  our  time  today,  to  get  our  passports  in  shape  to 
leave  Paris  next  Wednesday  the  30th.  Our  plans  are  as  follows, — Nellie,  the 
girls  and  Jeanne,  the  maid,  take  the  9:45  a.  m.  train  via  Boulogne  and  Folkestone 
to  London,  where  they  arrive  at  7  p.  m.  I  go  that  night  via  Cologne  to  Magde- 
burg and  then  to  Kleinwanzleben,  on  the  beet  seed  business  that  the  Colonel 
has  asked  me  to  look  after.  After  that  is  over  I  will  join  the  others  in  London, 
about  one  week  behind  them. 

We  wrote  some  days  ago  to  several  hotels  in  London  for  accommodation, 
among  them  the  Ritz,  Claridge*s,  Brown's  and  the  Carlton.  The  only  one  that 
can  take  us  in  is  the  Carlton  and  they  cannot  promise  a  private  bath.  We  shall 
go  there,  anyhow,  and  trust  to  luck  to  improve  our  position  later. 

The  passport  nuisance  is  just  as  bad  as  during  the  war.  As  one  fellow 
sufferer  on  the  line  at  the  British  Consulate  told  me,  he  came  to  Paris  to  have 
a  good  time  for  a  few  days,  and  he  had  already  spent  three  of  them  getting  a 
permit  of  residence  and  would  have  to  spend  the  remaining  three  in 
obtaining  a  permit  to  get  out.  This  is  only  a  slight  exaggeration.  I  have  spent 
a  part  of  at  least  six  days  in  the  same  way  and  will  only  get  the  Police  permiit 
next  Tuesday,  the  day  before  leaving.  How  any  one  who  does  not  speak  French 
ever  gets  through,  I  don*t  know.  They  charged  me  150  Francs  for  my  visa  for 
Germany,  as  against  about   10  Francs  for  the  others. 

PARIS,   FRIDAY,  June  25,    1920. 

More  passport  and  ticket  business.      I  will  have  to  postpone  my  departure 


188 

for  Germany  one  day,  to  get  a  sleeper.  The  itinerary  is  to  leave  Paris  at  10:00 
p.  m.,  arriving  at  Cologne  next  morning.  There  is  no  day  connection  there,  so 
I  have  to  lay  over  in  Cologne  that  day,  (which  I  do  not  regret)  and  take  the 
night  train  for  Berlin  and  Magdeburg.  It  is  very  difficult  to  co-ordinate  the  two 
sleeper  services. 

In  the  afternoon,  we  drove  out  to  Chantilly  through  the  beautiful  forest 
and  visited  the  Chateau  and  the  very  interesting  collections  of  the  Due  d'Aumale, 
which  he  presented  to  the  Institute  of  France. 

Unfortunately,  the  road  was  so  rough  that  Nellie  was  terribly  fatigued. 

In  the  evening  the  girls  went  to  the  Opera  Comique  to  hear  La  Tosca, 
under  the  chaperonage  of  Miss  Kline,  while  Nellie  and  I  dined  with  Mrs.  Drum 
at  the  Hotel  Castiglione.  She  also  had  Mrs.  Morgan  Hill,  who  now  lives  ih 
Washington,  but  is  spending  the  Summer  here.  We  played  bridge  and  came 
out  exactly  even. 

PARIS,  SATURDAY,  June  26,   1920. 

The  ladies  proceeded  with  the  usual  round  of  shopping  and  visiting  stores, 
w^hile  I  continued  my  negotiations  with  Vasseux  the  Chemist,  through  H.  S. 
Alexander,  the  present  proprietor  of  the  Journal  des  Fabricants  de  Sucre,  al- 
though it  is  still  conducted  under  the  name  of  Georges  Dureau.  Alexander  is 
the  man  who  conducted  the  agricultural  experiments  that  led  to  the  building 
of  the  first  beet  factory  in  England,  principally  with  Dutch  capital.  He  gives 
good  reasons  for  its  failure,  which  w^as  in  spite  of  a  most  excellent  raw^  material. 
He  gave  me  the  analysis  of  the  test  fields,  showing  uniformly  rich  beets  in 
sugar  and  purity,  and  fair  size.  He  is  a  remarkably  'svell  informed  man  about 
the  sugar  business  and  is  very  intelligent;  also  very  obliging.  One  wonders 
how^,  with  these  qualities,  he  seems  to  have  been  a  rover  in  Europe  and  America, 
and  a  Jack  of  all  Trades.  During  the  war,  Dureau  had  to  suspend  publication 
and  w^as  much  depressed  by  the  w^ay  all  his  old  clients  went  back  on  him. 
Alexander  came  along  and  bought  him  out  very  cheap,  and  seems  to  me  quite 
competent  to  make  a  success  of  it,  if  it  is  in  the  cards  to  do  so. 

He  knows  Smocker,  the  Manager  of  Lamborn's  Paris  house,  very  well, 
and  made  an  appointment  for  me  by  telephone.  He  tells  me  that  Lamborn 
came  to  Paris  a  couple  of  years  ago,  I  think  for  a  pleasure  trip.  He  happened 
to  arrive  just  after  the  French  Government  suspended  the  duty  on  sugar  and, 
through  the  suggestion  of  Alexander,  (so  he  says)  he  started  in  to  sell  sugar  in 
France  from  Cuba  and  the  United  States.  The  business  grew  to  huge  propor- 
tions and  Lamborn   has  made   several  million  dollars. 

He  secured  as  his  manager,  this  Mr.  Smocker,  who  had  a  very  good  posi- 
tion with  the  French  branch  of  the  Guaranty  Trust  Co.  of  N.  Y.,  and  who  is  an 
able  man. 

I  called  on  Smocker  a  couple  of  times  and  through  him  learned  of  the 
heavy  decline  in  raws  in  New  York,  from  22c  that  Ben  paid  a  few  weeks  ago, 
to    1 6c.      I  have  since  learned  of  a  reaction  to    1 8c. 

Lamborn  has  also  a  house  in  Prague  and  acts  as  purchasing  agent  for  the 
Government  of  Czecho-Slovakia  in  America.  This  also  is  an  immense  business. 
Alexander  spoke  of   150,000  tons  of  flour  in  one  year. 

PARIS,  SUNDAY,  June  27,    1920. 
This   is   Grand   Prix    day,    and   profiting   by   our   experience   of   last   Sunday, 
we  started  off  at    12:30.      Mrs.   Chisholm  was  to  have   gone  with  us,   but  was  too 
tired  from  her  trip  to  the  battlefields.     We  also  expected  to  take  with  us  a  couple 


189 

of  Adeline's  beaux,  with  whom  she  has  connected.  One  of  them  is  Jimmy 
Wilder,  of  the  Honolulu  family,  who  was  a  freshman  at  Harvard  last  year.  The 
boys  did  not  show  up  in  time,  owing  to  the  wretched  telephone  service  in  our 
hotel,  as  well  as  all  over  Paris,  and  we  started  without  them,  but  saw  them  at 
the  track.  It  was  well  we  started  early  for  we  got  good  seats  in  the  Grand 
Stand,    which   we   could   not   have   secured    1 5    minutes   later. 

By  the  strangest  coincidence,  we  found  seated  in  the  next  row  right  behind  us 
Jennie  Blair,  her  cousin,  and  the  Delatours,  father,  mother,  son  and  daughter. 
This,  in  a  crowd  of  over    1  00,000  people,  is  certainly  a  long  shot. 

Every  inch  of  standing  room  in  the  stand  was  packed,  so  for  the  first  three 
races  1  did  not  attempt  to  go  down  to  the  betting  ring,  but  we  made  up  hat  pools 
among  ourselves.  The  big  race  was  the  fourth,  so  I  went  down  to  execute  the 
betting  commissions  of  the  party,  and,  as  a  result,  was  unable  to  get  back  into 
the  stand  and  saw  very  little  of  the  race.  The  others  saw  very  well,  for  the 
start  was  right  in  front  of  them,  and  there  was  a  terrific  finish,  three  heads  apart. 
1  had  fortunately  taken  the  Herald's  tip  and  cashed  nearly  1,000  francs  for  100 
on  the  winner,  "Comrade." 

We  left  right  after  this  and  had  three  Harvard  boys  to  dinner  at  the  Ritz. 
So  the  girls  had  plenty  of  dancing  and  everybody  voted  the  day  a  success. 

Mrs.  Winslow  was  dining  at  the  Ritz  with  some  friends  but  John  did  not 
ask  our  girls  to  dance,  and  has  been  voted  persona  non  grata.  His  mother  is 
very  amiable. 

In  order  to  please  the  girls,  we  have  decided  that  when  we  go  back  to  Paris 
we  will  take  them  to  the  Ritz,  instead  of  the  Plaza  Athenee,  so  our  rooms  are 
engaged  for  the    15th  of  August. 

PARIS,  MONDAY,  June  28,   1920. 

Mrs.  Chisholm  is  going  to  London  with  our  party.  I  am  very  glad,  as  in 
my  absence,  Mr.  Kelley  will  be  there  in  case  of  need.  We  had  been  unable  to 
secure  rooms  at  Claridge's,  but  when  Mrs.  Chisholm  telegraphed  that  we  were 
with  her,  they  answered  that  they  would  take  care  of  us,  so  she  must  have  con- 
siderable pull. 

They  will  arrive  in  time  for  the  boat  race  at  Henley,  and  Kelley  has 
telegraphed  for  an  auto,   seats  in  the  stand,    etc. 

I  am  still  putting  in  time  on  passport  and  police  papers  of  one  kind  or 
another.  Today  at  the  British  Consulate,  I  was  told  that  you  could  not  take 
an  alien  servant  (Jeanne)  into  England,  without  previously  getting  some  paper 
from  some  bureau  in  London.  I  explained  that  it  was  impossible  with  the  time 
at  our  disposal,  and  after  some  hesitation  the  man  said,  "Well,  under  the  cir- 
cumstances, I  will  stretch  a  point  and  give  you  the  visa".  A  French  official 
would  have  "enjoyed"  my  dilemma,  and  I  am  afraid  an  American  would  not 
have  been  so  obliging. 

PARIS.  TUESDAY,  June  29.   1920. 

This  morning  1  went  to  the  Prefect  of  Police  and  finally  gathered  in  all  our 
cards  and  passports,  duly  executed.  I  breathed  more  freely  as  1  had  a  haunting 
fear  that  something  might  have  been  overlooked.  For  some  obscure  reason, 
there  seems  to  be  more  red  tape  to  get  into  Holland  than  any  other  place. 
That  we  have  left  to  do  in  London,  and  I  expect  to  have  a  tedious  time  of  it 
there   in   that   respect. 

The  girls  called  on  Mrs.  Winslow,  but  she  was  out.  I  finally  agreed  with 
Vasseux  as  to  the  terms  of  his  engagement. 


!90 

The  final  packing  was  finished  tonight  as  the  trunks  must  go  early  in  the 
morning. 

We  are  so  well  pleased  with  the  chauffeur,  Francois  Melon,  that  I  have 
arranged  with  him  to  come  to  us  again  when  w^e  return.  We  only  used  an 
average  of  40  kilometers  per  day,  while  we  were  entitled  to  50.  We  had  in- 
tended taking  some  more  excursions  to  the  chateaux  around  Paris,  but  the 
time  slipped  by  without  our  getting  to  it,  and  besides,  the  roads  are  so  rough 
that  Nellie  would  prefer  going  by  train. 

Nadne  has  not  replied  yet  to  Adeline's  letter  and,  as  Sacha  has  not  shown 
up,  w^e  are  without  news  of  the  Kolowrats.  I  have  heard  from  Joe  Huppmann 
and    his    future    residence    plans    are    indefinite.       For    financial    reasons    perhaps. 

I  went  again  to  the  express  company  that  received  in  Florence,  over  tw^o 
weeks  ago,  the  dress  that  Nellie  bought  for  Marie  Louise,  but  it  has  not  yet 
come  in,  so  I  asked  them  to  hold  it  for  our  return.  Likewise  some  gloves  that 
Nellie  bought  in  Italy  for  Marie  Louise  and  on  a  commission  from  Josephine. 

We  have  been  having  quite  a  number  of  our  dinners  upstairs  in  the  sitting 
room.  We  enjoy  it  better  than  going  down  to  the  dining  room  as  there  is 
nothing  to  see  or  do  down  stairs  after  dinner  at  this  season.  We  had  a 
"canard  a  la  presse**  upstairs  one  night  and  it  was  a  great  success.  Better  if 
anything  than  Frederic's  at  the  "Tour  d'Argent".  I  dressed  the  salad  to  go 
with  it,  as  I  have  done  a  number  of  other  nights,  and  the  girls  take  to  the  garlic 
like  ducks  to  water. 

PARIS.  WEDNESDAY,  June  30,  1920. 
The  trunks  started  shortly  after  eight  and,  as  usual,  there  was  a  flurry  at 
the  end.  Some  things  w^ould  not  go  in  and  some  things  w^ere  overlooked,  so 
that  as  we  went  to  the  train  everybody's  hands  were  filled  with  little  things,  and 
I  had  to  buy  a  basket  at  the  station  for  them.  Among  other  "hand  baggage" 
were  three  cardboard  hat  boxes  tied  together  (rather  flat  ones  I  must  admit) 
to  hold  Marie  Louise's  hats. 

1  had  to  say  goodbye  at  the  ticket  gate  and  1  felt  very  badly  to  have  them 
go  alone.  After  a  while  Nellie  came  back  to  the  ticket  gate  by  appointment  to 
receive  the  aforementioned  basket,  and  she  reported  that  at  first  they  had  all 
been  bundled  into  the  second  class  car,  because  Jeanne's  ticket  was  second  class, 
and  she  was  all  out  of  breath  with  hurrying,  for  fear  of  being  left. 

After  the  parting  I  had  quite  a  number  of  odds  and  ends  to  occupy  the 
day.  As  we  are  not  coming  back  to  this  hotel,  I  had  to  get  the  trunks  left 
behind  here  stored  with  the  American  Express  Co.  The  Hotel  Managers, 
father  and  son,  are  exceedingly  nice  people,  and  were  just  as  accommodating 
and  courteous  as  if  we  had  been  coming  back  to   them. 

1  also  dictated  letters  to  Col.  Duval  and  others  about  Vasseux  and,  while 
I  had  the  stenographer,  also  dictated,  and  mailed  for  the  Diary,  the  sketch  of  our 
battlefield  trip,   that   w^as   too   long   for   the   pen. 

At  the  end  of  last  week  I  gave  up,  for  the  present,  the  massage  and  the 
daily  treatment  by  de  Marville.  There  is  no  doubt  that  I  have  recovered  more 
use  of  my  hand  as  far  as  the  stiffness  of  muscles  is  concerned,  though  it  is  by 
no  means  normal.  As  to  the  tremor,  1  cannot  see  much  improvement,  but  they 
say  that  is  always  slower  to  overcome. 

PARIS,  THURSDAY,  July  1,   1920. 
Somehow  or  other  1  managed  to  have  a   fairly  busy  day.      Credit  Lyonnais 
twice,     American     Express,      Alexander,      Lamborn,      financial     settlement     with 


191 

Vasseux,  and  some  dealings  about  a  tapestry  that  Nellie  has  in  hand.  I  got  a 
cable  from  Sallie  about  her  curtains  and  so  went  around  to  the  woman  to  tell 
her  to  go  ahead  with  the  work.  By  the  way,  after  Nellie  had  telegraphed  to 
Sallie  the  price  of  curtains,  she  made  a  change  in  her  own  that  added  about 
$  1 0  apiece  to  the  price.  At  a  council  of  war  between  Nellie,  Marie  Louise  and 
1,  it  was  decided  also  to  get  the  higher  quality  for  Sallie.  I  said  I  would  take  the 
responsibility  as  I  knew  she  would  be  better  satisfied  with  them  in  the  end. 

After   dinner    I    took   my   last    ride   with    Melon   to    the   Gare    du    Nord   and 
boarded    a    train    for    Cologne,    in    the   German    territory    now    occupied    by    the 
British  army. 
Mailed  from  Berlin.  July  6,    1920. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

Germany 


195 


COLOGNE,  FRIDAY.  July  2.    1920. 

In  addition  to  the  details  in  the  letter  to  Colonel  Duval,  which  is  copied 
into  the  diary,  1  want  to  say  that  outside  of  the  cathedral  there  is  little  interest- 
ing in  Cologne.  The  locations  of  the  old  walls  of  the  city  have  been  parked, 
and  with  the  shade  trees  present  a  good  appearance.  The  place  looks  very 
prosperous  owing  to  the  money  put  in  circulation  by  the  English  troops.  This 
is  said  to  be  also  particularly  the  case  where  American  troops  are  quartered, 
but  1  am  told  that  the  military  discipline  is  poor  and  the  life  very  demoralizing 
to  the  young  soldiers. 

I  went  for  lunch  with  my  two  German  Jew  American  friends,  Nathan  and 
Hochheimer,  to  the  Grosser  Kurfurst  Hotel,  near  the  station  and  opposite  the 
Cathedral.  To  give  an  idea  of  restaurant  prices  in  Germany,  1  copy  some  of 
the  bills  paid  during  my  stay  at  different  hotels.  The  mark  is  worth  about 
3    cents. 

Hotel  Adlon 
Berlin 


Grosser   Kurfurst   Hotel 

Cologne 
(Lunch   for   3)        Marks 

1  Whole  Chicken  40 
(Casserole) 

2  Portions  Goose   84 
(Roasted) 

3  Cheese 

1  Bread 
3   Pints    Mineral 

Water 

2  Coffee 


Hotel  Frankfurterhof 
Frankfort 


18 
3 


7.50 
8 


(Dinner   for    1  ) 

Cover 

Soup 

Venison 

Cauliflower 

Dessert 

Pint  Wine 

Tax  20% 

Liqueur 


160.50 


Marks 

2 

5 
22 

6 

(Dinner    for 

Cover 

Bread 

Soup 

Veal  Cutlet 

Salad 

Butter 

1) 

Marks 

1 

4 

7.50 
35 

5 

3.50 

17.50 
34.75 

Savarin 
1    Beer 
1    Mineral   Water 

10%    in   lieu   of 
tips 

8 

4.50 

4.50 

6.90 
12.40 

73 
7.30 

106.55 

80.30 

Room  and  bath  were  90   marks  in  one  hotel  and    144   in  the  other,   and  in  the 
latter  a  charge  of  25%  was  added  to  the  price  of  the  room,  in  lieu  of  tips. 

I  had  a  whole  day  in  Cologne  and  after  1  had  reported  to  the  British  military 
authorities  and  taken  up  my  sleeper  berth  retained  from  Paris  by  telegraph,  I 
found  it  hard  to  put  in  the  time  until  9:45  p.  m.  I  spent  a  good  night  on  the 
train  as  the  porter,  for  a  consideration,  found  me  a  compartment  to  myself. 

BERLIN,  SATURDAY,  July  3,  1920. 
The  train  was  on  time,  like  all  those  on  which  I  travelled  in  Germany,  and 
it  gave  me  ample  time  to  get  breakfast  at  the  Hotel  Furstenhof  near  the  station, 
before  taking  another  train  at  1  1  :00  for  Magdeburg,  which  1  reached  at  1  :30. 
My  letter  to  Colonel  Duval,  which  is  to  be  copied  into  the  diary,  will  give  the 
particulars  of  my  stay  at  Klein-Wansleben,  as  the  guest  of  Mr.  Rabbethke,  Satur- 
day and  Sunday.  On  the  latter  night  I  arrived  again  in  Berlin  at  the  Hotel 
Adlon  about    10:30  and  got  a  very  small  room  with  a  bath. 

BERLIN,  MONDAY,  July  5,  1920. 
I  was  waiting  all  the  forenoon  for  a  telephone  message  from  Rabbethke 
regarding  a  business  appointment  that  he  was  to  make  for  me,  and  it  did  not 
come  until  1  :30.  Then  I  found  that  it  would  compel  me  to  go  to  Frankfort 
on  the  Main.  The  best  connection  from  there  for  London  is  through  Holland, 
so  I  started  in  to  try  to  get  my  passport  fixed  up  for  Holland,   but  was  unable 


196 

to  do  so.  The  American  Consulate  was  closed  July  5,  or  I  might  perhaps  have 
managed  it.  I  am  also  trying  to  get  a  berth  for  Frankfort  through  the  hotel 
porter,  but  I  will  not  know  about  this  before  tomorrow  afternoon.  I  ami  going 
anyway,  even  if  I  have  to  go  in  the  day  coach. 

BERLIN,  TUESDAY.  July  6.   1920. 

Having  a  free  day  before  me,  I  took  a  guide  and  drove  around  the  city. 
The  public  buildings,  of  course,  are  the  same  as  I  knew  them  before,  and  the 
big  Thiergarten  park  is  fully  the  equal  of  any  that  I  have  ever  seen.  I  drove 
through  the  poorer  quarters  of  the  city,  and  they  made  a  very  good  impression, 
as  the  streets  are  clean,  there  are  no  slums  and  there  were  window  boxes  of 
flowers  in  a  great  many  of  the  apartments. 

The  people  impress  me  as  showing  the  strain  of  the  war  more  than  either 
in  Italy  or  France,  but  that  is  saying  very  little.  I  saw  no  crippled  men.  Many 
of  the  children  looked  rather  pale,  and  in  a  procession  of  small  children  that 
had  been  out  in  the  country  with  their  teachers,  (the  schools  having  closed) 
most  of  them  were  barefooted.  Up  to  that  time  I  had  noticed  particularly  that 
they  all  were  well  shod. 

Of  course,  I  was  not  in  Germany  long  enough  to  form  opinions  of  my  own, 
but  the  two  men  I  talked  with,  Rabbethke  and  my  Berlin  guide,  both  said  that 
the  German  people  were  very  much  discouraged  as  they  saw  nothing  ahead  of 
them  but  working  for  other  nations.  That  there  was  a  great  deal  of  unemploy- 
ment due  to  lack  of  raw  materials  for  the  factories,  and  that  current  wages  were 
not  sufficient  in  the  cities  to  properly  nourish  the  workers  even  when  employed. 

I  visited  a  department  store  and  the  guide  said  the  saleswomen  only  received 
two  hundred  marks  per  month.  As  a  consequence,  he  said  there  was  a  great 
deal  of  immorality  among  them. 

The  Rabbethke  organization  is  a  splendid  one,  and  they  do  a  great  deal 
for  their  employees,  so  that  they  have  had  no  labor  troubles,  but  they  tell  me 
that  they  are  the  great  exception. 

Everyone  has  to  pay  income  tax,  even  the  house  servants.  10%  is  the 
lowest  rate  and  Rabbethke  will  pay  60%. 

After  lunch  and  after  I  had  ascertained  that  1  could  secure  a  sleeper,  I 
again  took  the  guide  and  motored  to  Potsdam.  The  ex-imperial  palace,  here 
as  in  Berlin,  is  empty,  and  the  furnishings  have  all  been  sold,  either  for  account 
of  the  State  or  of  the  Emperor,  according  as  they  w^ere  public  or  private 
property. 

The  Palace  of  Sans  Souci  nearby  is  kept  up  as  a  show  place,  with  all  the 
original  furniture  and  paintings  and  ornaments  of  the  time  of  Frederick  the 
Great. 

I  returned  to  Berlin  in  time  for  dinner  and  to  get  comfortably  to  my  train, 
leaving  for  Frankfort  at  9:30.  A  tip  to  the  porter  secured  a  lower  berth 
for  the  man  who  had  my  upper  and  left  me  alone  in  the  compartment.  His  name 
was  Moses,  and  he  is  a  lawyer,  with  offices  at  66  Liberty  Street.  He  told  some 
frightful  stories  of  graft  in  the  administration  of  the  Alien  Property  Custodian's 
Office,  under  Mitchell  Palmer. 

FRANKFORT  ON  THE  MAIN,  WEDNESDAY,  July  7,   1920. 

On    arrival    at    the    Frankfurter    Hof    about    9:30    I    found   a    note    from    the 

Deutsche  Gold  und  Silber  Scheideanstalt,  the  Company  that  controls  the  Cyanide 

patents,  placing  themselves  at  my  disposal  for  an  interview.      This  took  place  at 

eleven    o'clock,    with    Director    Bernhard    Schiebeler    and    Dr.    Dubois,    the    latter 


197 

apparently  one  of  their  technicians.  The  interview  was  in  French,  though  they 
spoke  some  English,  and  is  recorded  in  a  letter  to  Colonel  Duval  which  will  be 
incorporated   in  this   diary. 

There  being  nothing  more  to  detain  me  in  Frankfort,  I  arranged  to  take  the 
5  o'clock  train  for  Cologne  on  my  w^ay  to  London,  and  in  the  meantime  dictated 
some  letters  to  a  woman  stenographer,  who,  though  German  by  birth,  lived 
many  years  in  St.  Louis,  and  would  like  to  be  back  there. 

The  railroad  generally  follows  the  course  of  the  river  and  I  had  a  good 
chance  to  see  the  beautiful  scenery  that  has  so  often  been  enthusiastically 
described.  I  was  not  disappointed,  even  though  it  must  be  still  more  interesting 
viewed  from  a  boat  in  the  center  of  the  river. 

In  the  diner  they  served  no  sugar  with  the  coffee  and  this  reminds  me  to 
say,  that  on  the  German  sleepers  they  give  no  towels  for  drying  yourself  after 
you  ablutions.  When  I  rang  for  a  towel,  the  porter  showed  me  the  trick  of 
taking  your  pillow  case  off  and  using  that  as  a  towel. 

I  reached  Cologne  at  9:00,  to  find  that  by  a  change  of  timetable  my  train 
did  not  start  at  1  1  :00  p.  m.  as  I  thought  but  at  1  :00  a.  m.  The  sleeping  car 
office  was  closed  but  I  was  informed  that  everything  was  sold  out  for  that  night, 
and  the  next,  so  I  wandered  disconsolately  over  to  the  Grosser  Kurfurst  Hotel 
and  had  a  drink  with  a  young  man  who  had  obligingly,  but  unsuccessfully,  tried 
to  get  me  som»  Belgian  money.  I  stopped  at  one  drink,  though  it  would  have 
taken  many  more  to  brighten  the  prospect  of  sitting  up  that  night  in  a  day  coach. 
At  1 0  o'clock  they  closed  the  bar  and  I  went  back  to  the  station,  where  there 
was  no  waiting  room  and  no  place  to  sit  down.  When  it  was  close  to  midnight, 
I  learned  quite  by  accident  from  a  man  that  spoke  some  English,  that  although 
the  train  did  not  leave  till  1  :00  a.  m.  some  coaches  were  now  standing  on  the 
track,  waiting  for  the  Vienna  Express  to  pick  them  up.  So  I  hastened  down  and 
interviewed  the  Pullman  conductor,  or  the  official  who  acts  as  such  and  also 
as  porter,  but  he  could  do  nothing  for  me.  I  told  him  that  I  was  going  into  the 
day  coach  but  would  give  him  100  marks  extra  ($3.00)  if  he  could  get  me  a 
berth.  I  went  into  the  day  coach  and  had  hardly  settled  myself,  when  a  young 
Belgian  officer  came  in  and  pasted  placards  at  all  the  windows,  reserving  the  car 
for  officers.  Practically  all  the  cars  were  reserved  for  officers  of  some  nationality 
or  other,  so  the  situation  was  getting  more  complicated.  However,  the  officer 
had  the  decency  to  say  that  another  man  and  I,  who  were  already  settled,  could 
remain,  but  he  locked  the  door  against  all  others.  He  maintained  this  position 
when   some   other  military   men   seemed   inclined   to   eject   us. 

Just  at  this  time,  my  100  mark  man  hove  in  sight  with  the  glad  news  that 
he  had  a  berth  for  me,  and  my  civilian  companion  shared  in  my  good  fortune 
by  getting  the  upper  berth. 

In  the  morning  I  was  glad  to  see  that  the  crops  in  Belgium,  as  in  all  the 
other  European   countries   I   have  visited,   were  very   good. 

We  reached  Ostend  quay  at  1 0  o'clock  and,  after  a  casual  custom  house 
examination  and  a  passport  inspection,  we  boarded  the  boat  and  were  away  by 
I  1  o'clock.  The  passage  takes  about  four  hours  and  I  took  a  cabin  in  order 
to  straighten  out  my  papers. 

The  weather  was  not  rough  but  the  confinement  of  the  cabin,  in  connec- 
tion with  reading,  soon  made  me  feel  squeamish  and  I  hastily  went  on  deck  to 
regain  my  equilibrium.  From  Dover  to  London  the  run  is  about  two  hours, 
but  we  were  delayed  and  it  was  six  thirty  o'clock  when  I  knocked  at  the  door 
of  Nellie's  room.      She  was  overjoyed  and  quite  taken  by  surprise,   as  I  had  not 


198 

expected  to  get  through  ao  quickly  and  had  telegraphed  I  would  join  her  Friday 
or  Saturday.  Once  I  had  got  started  there  was  no  use  to  telegraph  any  correc- 
tion, as  a  passenger  alw^ays  beats  the  telegraph. 

The  accumulation  of  mail  since  the  diary  was  last  posted  includes: 
M.D.O.,   6/11,   also  old  letters  of  early  January  sent   to   Calcutta,    returned 
to   San   Francisco,   and   readdressed   here.      These   were   from   Louise,    Fanchette, 
M.D.O.,  etc.,  and  they  have  not  deteriorated  through  age. 
S.S.W.,   6/13,  as  good  as  ever. 

B.A.O.,  6/17;  with  explanation  of  the  Halifax  adventure,  which  seems  very 
attractive. 

H.T.O.,  6/2  1  and  also  cable  about  Sacha  Kolowrat.  I  have  transmitted  the 
latter.  1  will  be  glad  to  see  and  talk  with  Bulkley  in  Paris  if  he  lets  me  hear 
from  him. 

Lamborn,  with  copy  of  my  account. 

Col.  Duval,   6/2 1 ,  with  papers  about  ammonia  recovery. 

We  also  received  the   following  characteristic   epistle   from  Louie: 

San   Francisco,    Cal., 
June   16,    1920. 
My  dear  Mr.  and  Mrs.  R.  Oxnard: 

I  received  your  send  me  a  nice  handkerchiefs  thanks  very  much  and  many 
letter  to.  I  sorry  not  send  your  one  also.  I  not  unable  to  write  the  house 
everything  nice.  I  too  easy  time  to  so  I  very  glad  see  your  come  home  soon 
■will   goodbye, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

AH  LOUIE. 

This  is  so  far  above  Louie  for  style  and  orthography  that  we  suspect  he  must 
have  called  in  as  collaborator  his  great  friend,  Mr.  Hooper's  cook,  whom  he 
always  speaks  of  as   "the  Fat". 

Letter  to  Colonel  Duval. 

FRANKFURT,  A.M.,  July  7,   1920. 
H.  R.   Duval,  Esq., 

New  York. 

Dear  Colonel: 

Instead  of  making  a  formal  report,  I  think  it  will  be  more  satisfactory  if  I 
•write  a  journal  of  my  trip  to  Germany  day  by  day. 

I  left  Paris  on  the  night  of  July  1st  for  Cologne,  which  is  in  the  German 
territory  occupied  by  the  British  Army. 

1  found  that  the  u^^per  berth  of  my  compartment  was  occupied  by  a  "fellow 
American"  by  the  name  of  Nathan,  of  German  birth  and  Hebraic  extraction. 
He  was  willing,  however,  to  have  the  window  open  so  that  I  got  a  good  night's 
rest. 

At  Cologne  I  had  to  report  to  the  British  military  authorities  and  have 
my  passport  vised  by  them,  alongside  of  the  visa  of  the  German  consulate  in 
Paris. 

1  secured  the  Pullman  accommodation  that  I  had  engaged  beforehand  from 
Paris,  for  the  train  going  out  from  Cologne  that  night.  I  spent  the  day  visiting 
Cologne,  including  the  wonderful  cathedral  which,  however,  does  not  equal  in 
grandeur  that  at  Rheims,  in  spite  of  the  terrible  damage  done  to  the  latter. 


199 

That  night,  on  the  sleeper,  I  managed  by  judicious  tipping  to  get  a  compart- 
ment to  myself,  and  reached  Berlin  early  on  the  morning  of  Saturday,  the  3rd. 
The  crops  between  Cologne  and  Berlin  are  good,  although  some  sections  showed 
a  lack  of  rain. 

I  had  already  telegraphed  Messrs.  Rabbethke  &  Gieseke  that  I  would  reach 
Magdeburg  by  the  train  arriving  at  1  :30.  Accordingly,  I  found  waiting  for  me 
at  the  station  Alex  Fick,  their  American  representative,  who  was  soon  followed 
in  an  automobile  by  Mr.  E.  Rabbethke,  the  head  of  the  firm.  He  attends  to  the 
business  management  of  the  seed  business  and  also  to  the  running  of  the  sugar 
factory  of  Klein-Wansleben,  on  their  domain.  The  entire  enterprise,  although 
nominally  an  incorporated  company,  is  practically  owned  by  the  three  Rabbethke 
brothers  and  their  cousin,  Gieseke. 

They  are  a  very  wealthy  family,  owning  several  sugar  factories  and  other 
large  interests  in  Germany.  The  seed  business  is  their  hobby,  having  been  in- 
herited from  their  grandfather  and  father,  and  its  management  is  a  labor  of 
love,  as  well  as  business.  The  two  branches  of  the  enterprise,  the  sugar  factory 
and  the  seed  breeding  establishment,  occupy  nearly  20,000  acres,  in  several 
large  blocks,  within  a  radius  of  ten  miles  from  the  central  establishment. 

That  afternoon  after  lunch,  in  the  home  of  the  elder  Rabbethke,  I  was  shown 
through  the  seed  breeding  and  seed  handling  plant,  w^hich  includes  vast  store- 
houses,  equipped  for  the  testing,  sorting,  drying,  cleaning  and  mixing  of  their 
product.  Very  little  of  the  commercial  seed  is  grown  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
factory.  On  these  lands  they  produce  the  elite  seed,  from  which  the  commercial 
seed  is  grown  by  some  800  different  farmers,  scattered  all  over  Germany,  so  as 
to  include  all  varieties  of  soils  and  climatic  conditions.  They  have  a  staff  of 
90   scientific  agriculturists  to  oversee  and  control  these  800    growers. 

I  had  no  idea  of  the  vastness  of  their  operations.  They  are  by  far  the 
largest  growers  of  beet  seed  in  the  business,  and  both  the  brothers  made  the 
statement  to  me  that  they  produce  seed  enough  to  plant  half  of  the  present 
acreage  grown  to  beets  in  the  world.  I  checked  this  up  with  them  by  saying 
that,  figuring  on  a  world  beet  sugar  production  of  5  million  tons,  that  would 
mean  500,000  bags  of  beet  seed,  and  they  acknowledged  that  this  was  so.  I 
Understand  that  this  production  was  irrespective  of  their  beet  seed  business  in 
Russia,  which  is  not  operated  at  present,  but  I  may  be  mistaken  as  to  this.  By 
the  way,  they  have  ascertained  that  all  their  Russian  plant,  including  their 
selected  seeds  of  high  grade,  is  safe,  even  to  stocks  of  commercial  seed  that 
they  had  there.  This  latter  they  had  expected  to  get  out  of  Russia  through 
Danzig,  but  unfortunately  the  tide  of  war  between  the  Bolshevics  and  the  Poles 
has  again  cut  them  off. 

It  is  hard  to  give  an  intelligent  idea  of  the  immense  amount  of  detail  work 
that  this  business  entails.  They  test  in  the  course  of  the  year  1  million  separate 
beets.  They  started  out  by  a  crude  selection  in  1860,  and  have  gradually 
perfected  the  system,  until  it  seems  hard  to  make  any  further  improvements. 
They  select  any  particularly  good  beet,  at  any  time  that  it  is  found  in  the  course 
of  testing,  as  the  founder  of  a  family,  and  from  the  seed  of  this  beet  they  grow 
100  specimens  of  the  next  generation  for  one  set  of  trials,  and  the  balance  of  the 
seed  is  planted  for  examination  in  bulk. 

From  this  second  generation  the  best  beets  are  selected,  if  of  enough 
merit,  to  found  another  family,  and  all  of  these  experiments  are  follow^ed  up  for 
3   series  of  years,   until  the   ramifications   are   enough  to   make   your   head   swim. 

Families    retrograde    and    are    rejected,    while    new    ones    take    their    place. 


200 

They  have  at  present  about  1000  families  which  produce  their  elite  seed,  and 
these  1000  families  are  the  direct  descendants  of  two  individuals,  started  forty 
years  ago.     All  the  other  original  starters  have  been  eliminated. 

The  qualities  observed,  and  which  determine  the  selection,  are  not  only 
the  sugar,  but  also  the  weight,  the  form  of  the  root  and  of  the  leaves,  and  the 
vigor  shown  by  prepotency  in  transmitting  the  various  qualities,  etc. 

The  weight  that  the  individuals  must  reach,  in  order  to  be  selected,  varies 
with  the  four  types  of  seed  which  they  produce.  These  are:  the  old  type,  the 
original,  the  rich,  and  the  extra  rich;  and  the  old  type,  for  instance,  must 
have  a  greater  weight  than  the  others,  and  so  on  down  the  scale.  Any  mofher, 
that  in  the  bulk  planting  spoken  of  above,  has  more  than  1  %  of  its  descendeats 
going  to  seed  the  first  year,  is  rejected. 

Tlie  factory  is  an  old  one  that  has  been  enlarged  and  remodeled  several 
times.  It  makes  raw  sugar  and  is  of  no  great  interest  to  us.  It  is  a  necessary 
adjunct  of  the  seed  business,  to  utilize  profitably  the  large  tonnage  of  beeto 
grown   for   the    seed   selections. 

I  stopped  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Rabbethke  and  was  most  hospitably  enter- 
tained. 

The  second  day  I  drove  all  over  the  fields,  both  those  that  are  devoted  to 
the  seed  breeding  and  those  that  grow  beets  only  for  the  factory. 

I  have  never  seen  such  high  grade  and  scientific  agriculture  and  I  doubt 
if  there  are  many  examples  that  equal  it  in  Germany,  or  anywhere  else.  They 
have  a  four  years'  system  of  rotation  which  generally  includes  beets,  barley  or 
.wheat,  potatoes,  and  again  barley  or  wheat,  with  slight  modifications  to  take 
in  other  crops,  like  alfalfa,  etc.  This  is  strictly  adhered  to.  They  fertilize  every 
year  with  barnyard  manure  and  artificial  fertilizers.  Their  crops  are  all  mag- 
nificent, but  they  told  me  that  this  was  an  exceptionally  good  year.  The  out- 
standing feature  of  their  crops  is  not  so  much  the  great  yield  as  the  uniformity. 
I  saw  thousands  of  acres  of  beets  and  not  a  single  bad  field.  They  all  were 
expected  to  yield  between    1 5   and   20  tons  per  acre,   and  in  some   cases  higher. 

Some  forty  years  ago,  the  father  of  the  present  generation  stopped  the 
feeding  of  stock,  thinking  that  the  land  was  too  valuable  for  forage  crops.  A 
gradual  deterioration  ensued  in  the  state  of  tilth  of  their  lands  and  in  the 
yields.  This  was  not  noticed  at  first,  but  at  the  end  of  twenty  years,  they  found 
themselves  with  badly  run  down  farms.  Then  they  returned  to  stock  feeding 
and  the  production  of  manure,  and  now,  after  twenty  years,  their  land  is  in 
perfect  condition  again. 

When  speaking  of  the  seed  breeding,  I  forgot  to  say  that  they  bought  from 
Kuhn  &  Co.,  of  Holland,  a  good  many  years  ago,  their  system  of  beet  selection 
by  the  microscope,  but  they  have  abandoned  its  use.  You  may  remember  that 
through  your  Hungarian  connections  we  were  considerably  interested  in  that 
subject  at  one  time. 

Now  to  come  down  to  the  question  of  beet  seed  supply  for  the  future,  which 
is   what    1    came    here    to    investigate. 

They  have  already  shipped  us  7500  bags  of  the  15,000  that  we  bought 
for  shipment  in  1920.  This  leaves  7500  bags  still  due  us  for  this  year  and 
10,000  bags  for  1921.  Their  crop  promises  to  be  a  banner  one,  and  although 
their  reserve  stocks  are  very  much  depleted,  they  did  not  hesitate  to  assure 
me  that,  as  far  as  they  were  concerned,  they  would  be  able  to  fill  our  contracts. 

The  only  thing  that  might  prevent  this  would  be  the  German  Government's 
refusal  to  permit  the  exportation  of  their  seed.      This  they  do  not  anticipate,   as 


20t 

the  extension  of  beet  planting  in  Europe  can  hardly  keep  pace  with  the  extension 
that  the  seed  producers  are  able  to  give  to  their  production.  For  instance, 
Russia  is  unlikely  to  recover  ground  in  beet  sugar  production,  except  very 
slowly.  Apparently  the  only  danger,  therefore,  would  be  that  the  German 
Government  should  want  to  retain  the  Rabbethke  seed  for  German  growers  and 
allow  only  the  exportation  of  inferior  brands.  They  mentioned  this,  but  I  think 
that  that  fear  is  largely  due  to  their  exalted  opinion  of  the  quality  of  their  own 
product  in  comparison  with  others,  and  I  would  not  give  much  weight  to  it. 

Should  such  a  contingency  arise,  they  thought  that  through  the  authorities 
at  Washington  we  could  undoubtedly  help  them  to   get  the  proper  permits. 

One  interesting  point  that  1  learned  was  that  their  very  valuable  seed  they 
sometimes  preserve  and  plant,  even  after  it  is  ten  years  old.  The  germination, 
of  course,  is  slow  and  weak,  but  the  beets  themselves  are  just  as  vigorous  after 
they  start  as  from  the  fresher  seed.  They  also  described  to  me  the  process  of 
soaking  this  old  seed  and  drying  it  again,  which  greatly  enhances  the  rapidity 
of  the  germination,  and  they  are  going  to  give  me  a  full  description  of  the  sys- 
tem they  use.  This  is  w^hat,  as  you  may  remember,  w^e  tried  to  do  two  years 
ago  w^ith  some  Russian  seed,  but  with  disastrous  results,  because  we  allowed  the 
heat  in  the  re-drying  to   go  above  the  safety  point. 

The  conclusion  that  I  have  come  to,  and  want  to  present  to  you,  is  that,  as 
the  situation  stands  at  present,  we  can  consider  ourselves  safe  as  to  beet  seed 
supply,  and  I  would  neither  recommend  the  purchase  of  more  seed  nor  the 
appointment  of  a  European  seed  agent,  who  would  have  nothing  to  do  probably 
for  a   number  of  years. 

I  will  have  a  different  suggestion  to  make  to  you  w^hen  I  get  back  to 
New  York. 

Mr.  E.  Rabbethke  is  a  man  of  prominence  in  Germany,  politically  as  well 
as  otherwise.  Among  his  varied  interests,  he  is  at  the  head  of  a  factory  at 
Ildesheim,  which  extracts  sugar  from  molasses  by  the  Strontium  process,  and 
later,  utilizes  the  'waste  w^aters  for  the  production  of  potash,  first,  and  after- 
wards, for  the  production  of  cyanides  from  the  ammonia. 

This  being  along  the  line  of  our  problem  at  Oxnard,  I  questioned  him 
about   getting   hold  of  an  engineer   familiar  w^ith  this  problem. 

He  told  me  that  he  worked  under  the  patents  belonging  to  a  Company 
in  Frankfort,  which  is  the  only  successful  one  in  that  line.  One  of  the  two  princi- 
pal molasses  refineries  of  Germany  also  works  under  their  licenses,  which  are  well 
known  in  the  sugar  world,  and  which  were  the  ones  that  Zitkowski  mentioned 
in  his  letter  to  Howe  that  you  sent  me. 

Accordingly  1  have  come  here  to  Frankfort  and  am  writing  you  this  letter 
after  an   interview  w^ith  these   people. 

They  sent  their  experts  to  the  U.  S.  in  1910,  and  then  again  in  1913,  to 
study  this  question,  and  at  that  time  were  in  touch  with  Baird  and  another 
one  of  our  staff  who,  1  think,  was  General  Manager  Howe.  They  concluded  at 
that  time  that  the  conditions  were  not  favorable  and  that  the  composition  of 
our  molasses  offered  difficulties  not  present  in  Germany.  They,  however,  have 
promised  to  look  up  their  notes  and  reports  and  make  me  a  report,  which  will 
enable  me  to  go   into   the   subject   intelligently   after   I   get   home. 

They  think  the  conditions  for  success  would  require  a  plant  capable  of 
working  up  100  tons  of  concentrated  waste  waters  a  day.  Such  a  plant  would 
have  cost  in  Germany  before  the  war  five  million  marks.  It  would  require  the 
formation  of  a  group  of  American  beet  factories  situated  near  enough  together 
to  stand  the  freight  to  a  central  point. 


202 

They  are  not  at  all  sanguine  that  a  business  proposition  can  be  evolved 
that  they  would  care  to  become  interested  in,  but  if  with  the  data  they  can 
furnish  me  we  are  able  to  line  up  a  satisfactory  proposition,  they  would  be  will- 
ing to  go  into  it  on  the  following  terms:  They  to  furnish  half  of  the  capital,  their 
patents,  and  their  experience.  The  American  group  to  furnish  the  concentrated 
waste  waters.  The  potash  to  be  extracted  from  these  waste  waters  and  returned 
to  the  American  group,  after  which  the  profits  from  the  production  of  cyanide 
to  be  equally  divided. 

•       .  .  .  . 

This  seems  a  fair  proposition  and  is  certainly  worth  investigation. 

I  conclude  in  a  great  hurry,  as  I  have  to  catch  a  train. 

Yours  sincerely, 

Mailed  July    1 4th  from  London. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

England 


205 

LONDON.  FRIDAY,  July  9.  to  THURSDAY.  July  15.  1920. 

The  week  that  I  spent  in  London  can  be  summarized  briefly.  The 
IMessers  and  Ruth  Brooke  were  cordial  and  kind  in  the  extreme.  In  the  first 
place,  before  I  arrived,  Louise  Messer  and  Ruth  had,  at  almost  a  moment's 
notice,  put  themselves  out  to  accompany  our  party  to  Henley.  Nellie  had  ex- 
pected to  go  with  Mrs.  Chisholm  and  Mr.  Kelley,  on  whom  she  counted  to  attend 
to  the  details.  Mrs.  Chisholm  backed  out  the  very  morning  of  the  race  and 
Nellie  was  desperate.  She  appealed  to  Ruth,  who  threw  over  another  engage- 
ment and  made  Louise  go  also,  as  Messer  is  a  member  of  the  Club.  As  it  turned 
^ut  it  poured  and  the  whole  thing  was  a   failure,   besides  being  very  expensive. 

The  night  I  arrived  we  went  to  Ruth's  to  a  dinner-supper,  to  be  followed  by 
her  singing.  I  must  explain  here  that  Addie  Breckenridge,  now  Mrs.  Roberts, 
and  her  boy,  are  living  with  Ruth,  on  some  expense  sharing  arrangement.  She 
had  tickets  to  some  ball  in  connection  with  the  Eaton  School  and  she  invited  the 
girls  to  go  with  her,  after  Ruth's  dinner.  The  girls  accepted  but  at  the  last 
moment  Mrs.  Roberts  backed  out,  and  the  girls  went  with  her  boy  and  another, 
chaperoned  by  the  newly  married  Messer   girl. 

Meanwhile  we  were  at  the  musicale,  where  Ruth  was  practically  the  only 
singer,   but  did  wonderfully   well. 

Two  days  later  Louise  gave  a  little  dance  for  the  girls  in  her  apartment,  and 
that  also  was  most  enjoyable,  as  the  girls  got  lots  of  dancing  and  we  had  a  good 
game  of  bridge. 

Lansing  Tevis  was  there  with  his  wife  and  also  Hugh  Tevis,  his  cousin. 
They  had  already  called  on  us  and  made  a  good  impression. 

On  Sunday  we  took  a  motor  and  went  with  Ruth  to  her  place  in  the  country 
for  lunch.  We  were  very  politely,  nay  almost  enthusiastically,  received  by 
Reggie  Brooke,  who  never  appeared  to  better  advantage.  He  is  staying  there 
steadily  and  Ruth  herself  only  came  up  to  town  for  a  few  days  on  account  of  us. 
The  lunch  was  good  but  the  day  was  poor.  In  fact  the  weather  has  been 
wretched  most  of  the  time  during  our  entire  London  stay. 

Nellie  and  the  girls  had  been  doing  the  theatres  most  energetically  before 
I  arrived  and  I  went  with  them  to  hear  "The  Southern  Maid",  a  musical  comedy 
with  beautiful  setting  and  costumes  but  not  much  snap.  Mrs.  Chisholm  went 
with  us  and  also  John  Breckenridge. 

Another  night  we  got  tickets  for  "The  Skin  Game"  and  invited  Edie 
Grant  to  dine  and  go  with  us.  The  subject  is  rather  disagreeable  but  the 
interest  is  gripping  throughout  and  it  was  beautifully  acted,  so  that  we  enjoyed 
it  thoroughly. 

The  rest  of  our  time  was  spent  by  me  in  getting  some  clothes,  attending  to 
passports  and  arranging  through  Cook's  for  our  trip  to  Holland  and  Belgium, 
and  one  other  incident   to  be   related  later. 

The  girls  did  some  tourist  sight-seeing  around  the  City,  and  one  day  we 
took  a  motor  and,  on  the  outward  trip  visited  Windsor  Castle,  Eton  School  and 
Stoke  Pogis  churchyard,  made  famous  by  Grey's  Elegy.  The  church,  the  Yew 
tree  under  which  he  is  supposed  to  have  written  the  Elegy,  the  Mounment  to 
Grey,  and  the  old  headstones,  are  the  interesting  features.  On  the  way  back  we 
visited  Hampton  Court,  saw  Richmond  Palace  and  park,  Bushey  Park  and 
Kew  Gardens,  making  a  well  filled  day. 

We  are  not  at  all  well  impressed  with  Claridge's  Hotel.  It  excels  prin- 
cipally in  the  prices  charged  and  1  cannot  imagine  how  it  acquired  such  a  high 
standing  and  reputation.     For  a  small  apartment,  Nellie  and  the  girls  paid,  after 


206 

much  haggling,  8  guineas  per  day,  and  when  I  came  I  had  a  very  small  back 
room,  without  bath  or  even  running  water,  at  35  shillings  per  day.  The  res- 
taurant prices  are  exorbitant  and  the  food  good,  but  not  to  be  compared  with 
Paris.      Nellie  lunched  one  day  at  the   Carlton  and  liked  the  table  much  better. 

They  danced  every  evening  and  particularly  Sunday  evening.  Shades  of 
Victorian  primness  and   propriety! 

Our  girls  having  no  partners  could  not  avail  themselves  of  this. 

To  cap  the  climax,  Nellie  lost  a  sable  stole,  which  was  stolen  out  of  the 
private  entry  to  the  apartment.  It  was  made  partly  from  furs  she  had  bought 
in  China,  with  others  added  in  Paris,  and  was  worth  $1,000.  The  insurance  of 
our  baggage  does  not  cover  furs  or  other  articles  of  special  value,  unless  they 
are  particularly  described  and  insured  for  full  value,  which  was  not  the  case  as 
the  stole  was  not  in  existence  when  we  took  out  the  insurance.  We  have  made 
claim  on  the  hotel  and  on  leaving  London  have  left  the  matter  in  Mr.  Messer's 
hands. 

Before  I  arrived,  Nellie  and  the  girls  went  to  a  Sunday  evening  supper  at 
Louise's.  There  they  niet  Sir  Burton  Chadwick,  M.P.,  who  invited  them  to  visit 
the  Houses  of  Parliament,  and  have  tea  on  the  terrace.  The  visit  was  most  in- 
teresting, although,  owing  to  the  blustering  weather,  they  had  tea  indoors. 
They  saw  Sir  Edward  Carson,  but  he  had  just  finished  speaking. 

Another  interesting  experience  was  a  tea  at  Claridge's,  to  which  they  went 
with  Louise,  given  by  her  friend,  Sir  Henry  Davidson.  It  was  given  to  Lord 
Milner,  to  meet  the  representatives  of  the  Colonial  industries.  They  were  a  fine 
looking,  well  dressed  lot,  and  Nellie  enjoyed  meeting  several  of  them,  including 
a  sugar  man  from  the  West  Indies.  Lord  Milner  was  most  attractive  and  when 
Nellie  said  that  we  had  a  letter  for  him  from  Pritchard,  he  said  that  he  knew 
Pritchard  and  his  family  very  well,  and  was  interested  in  hearing  how  he  was 
getting  along.     I  regret  that  1  did  not  meet  these  peole. 

I  did  not  meet  Joe  Grant,  but  he  invited  me,  through  Edith,  to  lunch  with 
him.  First  I  accepted,  but  it  was  our  last  day  in  London,  and  when  he  telephoned 
to  make  arrangements  I  had  to  beg  off.  He  wanted  particularly  to  tell  me  that 
he  had  lunched  with  Mountford  the  day  before  sailing  from  New  York,  and  that 
Flora  was  doing  very  well  indeed.  We  got  such  contradictory  reports  that  it 
was  a  great  comfort  to  hear  this  from  a  man  who  has  just  arrived  here. 
Mailed  from  The  Hague,  July    18,    1920. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 
Holland  and  Belgium 


209 

THE  HAGUE,  FRIDAY.  July    16.    1920. 

We  left  London  last  night  at  8:30  p.  m.  for  Harwich,  where  we  boarded 
the  boat  that  was  to  sail  at  daylight  the  next  morning  for  the  Hook  of  Holland. 
The  cabins  were  clean,  the  beds  (upper  and  lower)  comfortable,  the  ventilation 
good,  and  we  settled  ourselves  down  for  the  night  about  I  1  o'clock.  We  had 
two  entire  cabins  and  Jeanne,  a  good  berth  in  an  inside  cabin.  We  had  heard 
distressing  tales  of  the  seven  hours'  crossing,  but  today  the  sea  was  like  a 
millpond. 

We  had  nine  pieces  of  baggage  to  register,  weight  900  pounds,  and  the 
cost  was  more  than  one  first  class  ticket.  The  official  doubted  that  it  could  be 
all  personal  baggage.  They  made  a  mistake  in  the  amount  charged,  which  was 
£2/2  to  The  Hague,  so  that  at  the  Hook  1  was  presented  with  a  telegram  to  the 
mate  of  the  vessel,  instructing  him  to  hold  our  baggage  until  an  extra  amount 
of  £2/5  was  paid.  We  reached  the  Hook  at  9:30  a.  m.  but  the  train  did  not 
start  until  I  1  :20,  to  allow  for  passport  and  custom  house  examinations.  This 
latter  was  very  lenient,  only  one  piece  being  opened. 

We  arrived  at  The  Hague  at  12:30  and  got  satisfactory  rooms  at  the  Hotel 
des  Indes.  Cook's  guide  met  us  and  after  lunch  we  took  an  automobile  and 
easily  covered  considerable  ground.  We  visited  the  "House  in  the  Wood", 
formerly  a  Royal  residence  but  now  used  on  occasion  for  official  business.  The 
original  Brussels  peace  conference  was  held  there  in  1899,  and  again  in  1907, 
but  now  they  have  the  Carnegie  Peace  Palace,  finished  in  1915,  for  that  purpose. 
The  building  is  of  brick  with  stone  trimmings  and  this  material  detracts  from 
its  appearance  in  my  estimation. 

From  there  we  went  to  Delft  and  the  road  along  the  canal  was 
interesting,  but  they  no  longer  allow  visitors  to  the  porcelain  factory, 
which  w^as  a  disappointment.  In  Delft  w^e  went  through  the  house 
where  William  the  Silent  was  murdered.  Two  bullet  marks  in  the  wall  have 
been  so  enlarged  by  the  canes  and  umbrellas  of  the  curious,  that  the  spot  is  now 
covered  over  with  plate  glass.  The  murderer  was  traced  by  William's  dog.  He 
earned  a  big  reward  from  the  Spanish,  but  before  he  could  collect  he  was  torn 
limb  from  limb  with  horses  at  the  hands  of  the  Dutch.  We  also  went  to  Scheven- 
ingen,  the  beach  resort  of  The  Hague,  that  I  heard  compared  to  a  little  Atlantic 
City,  which  I  have  never  seen. 

On  the  w^ay  home  we  dropped  Marie  Louise  at  the  house  of  Marie  Louise 
Harrington  Bagley.      He   is  naval  attache  here  and   she  seems  to   like   the  place. 

Elihu  Root  is  here  at  the  hotel  and  I  would  have  liked  to  present  myself  to 
him  and  try  to  learn  what  he  thought  of  the  European  situation,  that  seems  to 
be  hopelessly  muddled  to  me.      The  opportunity  never  occurred. 

THE  HAGUE,   SATURDAY,   July    17.    1920. 

I  had  to  report  to  the  police  for  cards  of  residence  and,  contrary  to  the 
procedure  in  most  countries  but  just  as  in  Paris.  I  was  not  allowed  to  act  for 
my  party  (except  Nellie)  and  had  to  go  back  and  drag  Marie  Louise,  Adeline 
and  Jeanne  before  the  examiners.  We  will  also  have  to  go  before  the  authorities 
for  permission  to  leave  Holland.  This  incessant  red  tape,  before  and  after,  in 
each  country,  wears  one  to  the  bone,  and  I  doubt  if  1  %  of  the  undesirables  are 
kept  out  that  way. 

Today  we  took  a  carriage,  all  the  objects  of  interest  being  so  close  together, 
and  in  the  forenoon  visited  the  Royal  Palace,  as  the  family  was  away.  Also  the 
Houses  of  Parliament  and  the  Picture  gallery  containing  Rembrandt's  "School 
of  Anatomy"  and  Paul  Potters*    "Bull".      Among  the  minor  sights   was  a   quad- 


2)0 

rangle,  formed  of  small  one  story  and  one  roomed  cottages,  to  the  number  of 
over  fifty,  occupied  by  old  women  pensioners  that  have  seen  over  25  years  of 
house  service  with  one  master.  It  is  under  government  control,  but,  according 
to  the  guide,  supported  by  the  several  employers.  An  institution  of  this  size 
would  be  too  large  for  California,  if  Chinamen  were  excluded. 

Through  Adeline  signing  her  name  on  the  register  of  the  "House  in  the 
Wood**  she  got  in  touch  with  a  St.  Timothy  schoolmate,  by  the  name  of  Ranlet, 
living  in  Boston,  and  we  invited  her  and  her  mother  to  dinner. 

AMSTERDAM,  SUNDAY.  July  18.   1920. 

We  left  The  Hague  this  morning  at  10:44  and  reached  here  at  noon,  going 
to  the  Amstel  Hotel,  where  we  have  satisfactory  rooms.  It  being  Sunday, 
Cook's  office  is  closed  and  w^e  w^ill  not  start  our  sight  seeing  until  tomorrow.  It 
started  to  rain  almost  immediately. 

I  forgot  to  mention  that  in  The  Hague  we  just  happened  upon  the  civil 
wedding  at  the  Registry  Office  of  a  young  couple,  (26  and  17)  apparently  be- 
longing to  the  "upper  middle  class".  Through  the  adroitness  of  the  guide,  the 
wedding  party  and  ourselves  were  the  only  ones  in  the  inner  hall.  The  bride 
was  sweet  looking,  but  according  to  our  ladies  her  dress  was  a  "dutch  fright". 
The  bridesmaids'  ditto;    but  all  unconscious  of  this,  they  were  having  a  good  time. 

The  Hotel  Amstel  is  first  class  and  the  cuisine  excellent. 

AMSTERDAM,  MONDAY.  July  19.   1920. 

Although  Cook's  have  a  branch  office  in  the  hotel,  nothing  was  known  here 
about  us  and  there  was  some  delay  in  communicating  with  the  Main  office  and 
in  getting  started.  This  was  explained  as  being  due  to  the  sickness  of  the  guide 
originally  assigned  to  us. 

We  took  a  small  passenger  steamer,  quite  crowded,  and  went  by  various 
canals  to  the  Zuyder  Zee,  on  the  shore  of  which  we  stopped  at  a  small  town 
called  "Broek  in  Waterland"  to  see  an  example  of  the  "house  industry"  of  mak- 
ing cheese.  They  handled  the  milk  from  30  cows,  average  4  gallons  each,  and 
it  was  a  pleasure  to  see  the  neatness  and  cleanliness  of  the  place  and  of  the 
operations  conducted  by  the  man  and  his  wife. 

A  church  and  curio  shops  were  the  only  other  objects  of  interest. 

The  next  stop  was  at  Monnikendam,  an  old  settlement  with  a  quaint  church 
and  the  houses,  generally  of  brick,  with  the  date  of  erection  on  their  fronts. 
The  oldest  that  we  saw  was  1611,  and  in  a  perfect  state  of  preservation.  The 
streets  were  paved  with  brick  and  as  clean  as  a  parlor,  each  housekeeper  scrub- 
bing her  stoop  and  sidewalk,  the  same  as  the  interior  of  the  house.  From  there 
we  struck  out  across  the  Zuyder  Zee  to  the  Island  of  Marken,  where  all  the  in- 
habitants, either  from  conservatism  or  to  attract  visitors,  probably  the  latter, 
are  dressed  in  the  costumes  of  the  middle  ages.  Few  men  were  about,  as  they 
all  live  by  fishing,  but  the  women  and  children  were  most  picturesque.  The 
little  boys  and  girls  are  dressed  alike  up  to  about  8  years  old  and  are  very 
pretty.  But  the  women,  even  when  comparatively  young,  seem  to  lose  their 
good  looks.  A  dental  clinic  is  very  much  needed  as  the  women  seem  to  average 
about  two  or  three  front  teeth  apiece.  They  are  anxious  to  show  the  interior 
of  their  houses,  and  give  the  impression  of  dressing  and  acting  for  show. 

We  returned  to  Amsterdam  by  a  different  way,  stopping  en  route  at  Vollen- 
dam,  another  quaint  town. 

AMSTERDAM.  TUESDAY.  July  20.    1920. 

This  was  a  day  of  city  sight  seeing,  including  a  diamond  cutting  establish- 
ment, a  very  fine  park,  the  Royal  Palace  and  the  National  Museum.      This  latter 


211 

was  the  most  interesting  as  there,  are  hanging  the  Night  watch  and  other  cele- 
brated Rembrandts,  and  a  wonderful  figure  of  a  dead  woman  by  Mass,  called 
"The  Unfinished  Prayer". 

AMSTERDAM,  WEDNESDAY,  July  21,    1920. 

Instead  of  stopping  over  night  at  Rotterdam,  where  admittedly  there  is 
little  to  see,  we  decided  to  leave  here  early  and  after  "doing"  Rotterdam  in  a 
few  hours,  push  on  to  Antwerp  the  same  day.  These  places  are  so  close 
together  that  it  is  easy  to  do  this;  so  1  engaged  our  guide  here  to  go  on  with 
us  and  help  us  to  accomplish  this,  by  facilitating  baggage  registration,  police  per- 
mits, etc.  We  acted  wisely  in  this  matter  as  there  is  little  of  interest  to  record 
of  Rotterdam,  and  we  got  through  nicely;  whereas,  in  the  absence  of  a  man 
speaking  the  language,  and  knowing  the  ropes,  we  might  never  have  got  through 
in  time  to  make  our  connections.  We  left  Rotterdam  at  4  o'clock  and  at  the 
frontier,  in  two  different  towns,  we  had  to  get  all  of  our  small  baggage  out  of 
the  compartment  and  our  registered  baggage  out  of  the  railroad  van,  to  line  it 
up  for  inspection.  First  by  the  Dutch  for  going  out  (the  Lor4  knows  why),  and 
then  by  the  Belgians  for  going  in.  The  same  w^ith  the  passports.  The  annoy- 
ance of  all  this,  with  the  constant  tips  in  different  moneys,  w^hich  are  often  too 
large  for  lack  of  small  change,  is  really  very  wearing,  particularly  in  Holland, 
on  account  of  the  language. 

We  reached  Antwerp  about  8:00  p.  m.  and  went  to  the  Grand  Hotel,  where 
we  could  not  get  the  accommodations  promised  by  Cook's,  ostensibly  because  we 
had  arrived  a  day  ahead  of  schedule;  so  we  had  to  put  up  with  noisy  rooms  on 
the  first  floor  and  without  baths.  We  were  promised  better  for  tomorrow, 
but  meanwhile  decided  to  cut  down  our  stay  in  Antwerp  to  one  day  and  take  the 
extra   time   ii^   Brussels. 

The  restaurant  was  also  very  second  class,  not  as  to  the  cooking,  but  as  to 
service,  cleanliness,  and  general  appearance.  Cook's,  so  far,  had  sent  us  to 
good  hotels.      Perhaps  there  is  no  better  in  Antwerp. 

We  had  been  looking  forward  to  seeing  something  of  the  Olympic  games 
here,  but  learned  to  our  disappointment  that  they  do  not  start  until  next  month. 

ANTWERP,  THURSDAY,  July  22,  1920. 
We  made  arrangements  to  leave  for  Brussels  by  the  3:55  train  and  mean- 
while, started  to  see  the  sights  in  a  taxi.  The  Cathedral  is  really  a  magnificent 
church  and,  among  other  treasures,  contains  the  world  famous  masterpieces  of 
Rubens,  the  "Elevation  to  the  Cross",  and  the  "Descent  from  the  Cross";  also  the 
"Assumption"  and  the  "Resurrection".  These  were  taken  down  when  the  Ger- 
mans attacked  and  fortunately  so,  for  a  shell  struck  the  wall  where  the  "Descent", 
the  most  famous  one,  was  hung  that  would  have  destroyed  it. 

The  Germans  thought  these  paintings  had  been  sent  to  England  until  two 
months  before  the  armistice  when,  learning  the  contrary,  they  had  them  brought 
back  to  the  church. 

We  also  visited  the  National  Museum  of  paintings  and  statuary;  the 
Plantin  Novetus  Museum,  containing  the  third  printing  establishment  started  in 
the  world,  Guttenburg's  being  the  first;  the  flower  show^,  and,  last  but  not  least, 
the  Docks  or  Wharves  that  make  this  one  of  the  best  equipped  of  the  commercial 
cities  of  the  world.  I  noticed  the  giant  specimens  of  the  Belgian  draft  horses 
working  here. 

There  is  very  little  evidence  of  damage  to  be  seen  in  Antwerp  from  the 
three    days'    bombardment.      Also,    there    seems    to    be    a    cheerful    feeling    that 


212 

Belgium  has  got  down  to  work,  and  will  be  the  first  of  the  Continental  Nations  to 
recover  her  equilibrium. 

It  took  but  50  minutes  to  get  from  Antwerp  to  Brussels,  where  we  found 
the  Hotel  Astoria  quite  first  class  and  settled  ourselves  comfortably. 

After  our  whirlwind  trip  since  leaving  London,  it  is  an  agreeable  prospect  to 
stay  four  days  here. 

We  have  heard  from  Cook's  in  London  that  they  have  been  unable  to 
secure  the  accommodations  we  wanted  at  Aix-les-Bains,  at  either  one  of  the 
three  hotels  we  had  chosen.  This  puts  us  in  a  quandary,  but  we  have  telegraphed 
ourselves  to  others  and  have  decided  to  go  through  to  Aix  anyhow,  trusting 
to  luck  to  find  something  suitable  after  we  get  there.  We  are  anxious,  Nellie 
and  I,  to  take  a  two  weeks'  cure  there,  and  the  girls  are  also  anxious  to  go,  hav- 
ing heard  that  there  was  a  great  deal  of  gayety  there. 

They  are  enjoying  the  novel  sights  we  have  been  seeing,  but  are  strong  in 
their  assertion  that  there  is  no  place  like  Paris. 
Mailed  from  Brussels,  July  22,    1920. 

BRUSSELS,   FRIDAY,  July  23.    1920. 

It  was  rather  a  relief  after  travelling  so  fast  to  feel  this  morning  that  we 
could  look  forward  to  an  easy  day.  Nellie  and  I  left  the  girls  in  their  room 
and  went  to  call  on  Mrs.  Alleyne,  whose  new  address  we  found  in  the  directory. 
She  lives  very  far  from  the  hotel,  in  a  very  respectable  part  of  town  and  in  a 
very  small,  modest  looking  house.  She  had  gone  down  town  but  we  were 
received  by  her  sister  Mary,  whom  I  saw  for  the  first  time.  Mrs.  Alleyne 
says  that  her  war  experiences  have  brought  Mary  out  wonderfully.  We 
invited  Mrs.  Alleyne,  through  Mary,  to  come  up  to  lunch,  which  she 
did,  and  we  had  a  most  enthusiastic  meeting.  She  looks  very  well  and 
not  much  aged,  in  spite  of  her  privations.  During  the  war  she  lost  50 
pounds,  but  has  got  a  good  deal  back.  It  was  very  interesting  to  hear  her 
talk.  She  only  knew  Edith  Cavell  slightly  but  was  engaged  in  very  much  the 
same  kind  of  work,  as  far  as  helping  to  hide  allied  soldiers  and  sending  them  on 
their  way.  She  used  to  circulate  the  secretly  printed  newspaper  **La  libre 
Belgique",  of  which  we  heard  so  much,  and  in  many  ways  laid  herself  open  to 
severe  punishment  by  the  Germans,  if  discovered.  She  is  thoroughly  convinced 
that  all  the  stories  of  German  atrocities  are  true.  Two  months  before  the 
armistice,  she  could  stand  it  no  longer,  and  she  and  Mary  got  exchanged  for 
German  women  in  England.  After  six  weeks  in  England,  the  two  volunteerd  as 
nurses  and  w^ere  at  the  front  when  the  w^ar  ceased. 

Of  course,  had  she  known  that  the  end  was  to  come  so  soon  she  would  have 
remained  in  Brussels,  but  they  never  dreamt  such  a  thing  possible,  as  they  only 
got  such  news  as  the  Germans  allowed  to  circulate. 

They  are  very  poor  and  she  is  trying  to  find  work  in  charge  of  some  hospital, 
for  which  she  is  fully  qualified,  having  had  experience  in  such  a  position  before. 

It  appears  that  Mary's  income,  which  was  their  main  support,  came  from 
her  godfather,  a  Russian,  and  was  paid  to  her  by  his  three  nephews.  Now  two 
of  them  can  pay  nothing,  and  the  third  one  very  little.      It  is  a  very  sad  case. 

After  lunch  Mrs.  Alleyne  and  the  ladies  went  to  the  shops  and  I  took  it 
quietly. 

I  forgot  to  say  that,  returning  from  our  call  at  Mrs.  Alleyne's,  I  stopped  at 
the  American  Embassy  and  saw  Brand  Whitlock  for  just  a  moment  as  he  was 
going  out.  He  said  it  would  be  very  diffcult  to  get  an  audience  of  the  King  or 
Queen.      Only  twice  a  year  do  they  receive  together,  at  two  large  functions.      He 


213 

asked  me  to  tea  that  afternoon  with  my  party,  and  said  he  would  then  talk  the 
matter  over.  Accordingly  we  all  went  to  the  Embassy  at  five  o'clock,  and,  with 
several  others,  were  politely  received  by  the  Ambassador  and  Mrs.  Whitlock. 
He  said  he  was  afraid  nothing  could  be  done,  but  he  would  look  into  it,  and  let 
me  know.  He  also  said  he  would  send  me  a  note  to  the  French  consul  to  facili- 
tate getting  visas,  but  that  was  the  last  we  saw  or  heard  of  him. 
P.  S. — Have  since  received  a  polite  note  from  him,  forwarded  from  Brussels, 
regretting  his  inability  to  get  the  audience. 

BRUSSELS,  SATURDAY,  July  24,    1920. 

Mrs.  Alleyne  called  in  the  morning  and  the  ladies  went  shopping  with  her, 
while  I  and  the  hotel  porter  struggled  with  the  passport  formalities. 

We  all  came  together  for  lunch  and  I  arranged  for  Mrs.  Alleyne  to  come 
back  to  dinner  and  chaperon  the  girls  to  the  theatre,  w^here  they  saw  a  very 
fair   "revue**. 

I  also  went  to  Cook*s  and  arranged  for  our  sight  seeing.  In  the  afternoon 
Nellie  and  I  went  for  a  walk  but  were  obliged  to  hurry  back  owing  to  a  shower. 
This  has  been  a  very  wet  July  all  over  Europe  and  in  most  countries  the  crops 
are  suffering   in  consequence. 

By  the  way,  Mrs.  Alleyne  said  that  this  was  the  first  time  she  had  been  to 
the  theatre  since  the  war  began. 

BRUSSELS,  SUNDAY,  July  25,   1920. 

We  started  by  motor,  shortly  after  9:00,  and  went  first  to  Malines,  where 
we  visited  the  Cathedral  and  viewed  what  damage  had  been  done  by  the  Germans, 
which  was  not  extensive.  From  there  we  took  the  highway  to  Louvain,  along 
which  the  Belgian  army  fought  a  rear  guard  action  in  their  retreat  toward 
Antwerp.  The  damage  to  the  farm  buildings  along  the  road  was  very  apparent, 
but  nothing  like  what  we  had  seen  in  France,  as  the  resistance  was  feeble.  On 
arriving  at  Louvain  however  we  saw  the  ruins  of  the  memorable  library,  cover- 
ing a  whole  block  of  ground.  There  is  only  left  a  shell  of  blackened,  roofless 
walls,  gutted  by  cannon  and  fire.  The  adjoining  Hotel  de  Ville,  one  of  the 
beautiful  buildings  of  the  world,  is  apparently  very  little  damaged.  One  end  of 
the  Cathedral  is  very  little  touched  but  the  other  end  is  quite  badly  wrecked. 
Repairs  were  going  on,  though  not  today,  as  services  were  in  progress. 

I  noticed  here,  as  well  as  in  other  churches  visited,  a  confirmation  of  what 
I  had  been  told  as  to  a  very  considerable  proportion  of  men  in  the  congrega- 
tions. 

The  amount  of  damage  done  to  the  rest  of  the  town,  while  considerable, 
seems  small  to  us  with  our  experiences  of  Soissons,  Rheims,   etc. 

The  excuse  for  the  pillaging  of  Louvain  was,  of  course,  that  the  populace 
had  fired  on  the  German  troops,  but  our  guide  was  circumstantial  and  positive 
in  his  assertion  of  the  Belgian  account,  that  it  was  two  bodies  of  German  troops 
that  fired  on  each  other  in  the  night  by  mistake.  He  also  described  how  the 
Germans  herded  together  over  a  thousand  of  the  inhabitants,  and  the  next  morn- 
ing shot  154  of  them,  men,  women  and  children,  against  the  base  of  a  statue 
that  we  saw^,  opposite  to  the  railroad  station. 

He  gave  a  personal  touch  to  the  story  by  relating  the  experience  of  one  of 
his  friends.  This  man  kept  a  shop  of  some  kind  and  the  day  before,  a  German 
soldier  had  come  in  and  asked  for  a  glass  of  water,  which  was  given.  The  shop- 
keeper, his  wife  and  boy  were  among  those  marked  for  execution.  Happening 
to  see  the  soldier,  he  appealed  to  him  for  help  in  return  for  the  courtesy  shown. 


214 

The  soldier  thereupon  took  him  before  the  commanding  officer  and,  owing  to 
the  circumstance,  his  life  was  spared,  but  despite  his  entreaties  his  wife  and 
child  were  shot,  before  his  eyes. 

We  completed  a  triangular  journey  by  returning  to  Brussels  direct  from 
Louvain  and,  after  taking  lunch  at  the  hotel  (The  Astoria,  first  class  in  every 
respect),  we  motored  in  the  opposite  direction  to  Ghent  and  Bruges,  sixty  odd 
miles  distant.  The  trip  out  was  very  interesting  but  we  lost  time  by  tire  trouble, 
and  besides  were  disappointed  in  Bruges.  The  Belfry  and  Cathedral  were  of 
course  well  worth  seeing,  and  also  the  Hotel  de  Ville,  but  we  had  about  the 
poorest  guide  in  all  our  experience,  and  from  this  cause  probably  missed  many 
interesting   things. 

On  the  return  journey  ^ve  had  more  tire  trouble  and  w^ere  compelled  to  buy 
an  extra  tube  at  Ghent,  where  we  had  dinner. 

We  were  supposed  to  get  back  from  the  Bruges  excursion  by  seven  o'clock, 
but  instead  got  back  at  midnight. 

We  went  through  the  section  where  the  industry  flourishes  of  growing 
flowers  for  seed,  and  also  the  bay  trees,  box  woods,  plane  trees,  etc.,  that  are 
exported  all  over  the  w^orld.  The  nurseries  lined  the  road  for  miles  and  we  saw 
huge  box  and  bay  trees  growing  in  pots.  Also  the  begonias  made  a  wonderful 
showing. 

BRUSSELS,   MONDAY,   July    26,    1920. 
This   day   was    devoted   to   sight   seeing   in   a    carriage   around    the    city,   but 
with  the  same  inefficient  guide  furnished  by  Cook's. 

The  Cathedral  is  beautiful  both  externally  and  internally. 

The  Hotel  de  Ville  stands  in  one  of  those  squares,  typical  of  Belgium,  as  far 
as  I  have  observed,  on  the  same  principle  as  the  San  Francisco  civic  center, 
but  smaller.  The  buildings  on  all  four  sides  were  beautiful,  but  the  Hotel  de 
Ville,  the  finest  in  Belgiuyn,  was  the  crowning  feature,  with  its  tower  rising 
from  the  center,  and  its  pilasters  touched  with  gold  mellowed  by  age.  Here,  as 
in  the  Hague,  we  butted  into  a  civil  wedding  ceremony  but  of  a  higher  class. 
There  was  also  another  wedding  outfit  waiting  on  a  side  track  for  their  turn, 
but  one  such  depressing  sight  was  enough  for  us. 

From  here  we  went  to  the  Palace  of  Justice,  famed  for  its  beautiful  archi- 
tecture and  for  its  commanding  position  at  the  top  of  a  plateau,  with  an  extensive 
view  of  the  city. 

I  omitted  mentioning  just  now  that,  in  the  Hotel  de  Ville,  we  stood  in  the 
room  where  the  great  ball  was  given,  just  before  the  battle  of  Waterloo,  as 
described  in  Byron's  Childe  Harold.  We  had  thought  of  going  to  Waterloo  by 
motor  this  afternoon,  but  the  day  was  rainy  and  we  gave  it  up. 

I  also  want  to  mention  here  that,  a  feature  of  all  the  Cathedrals  we  have 
seen  in  Belgium  is  a  wonderfully  carved  wooden  pulpit  of  Flemish  oak. 

Our  next  stop  was  at  the  National  Museum  where  we  saw,  on  the  run,  a 
wonderful  collection  of  Rembrandts,  Rubens,  Van  Dycks,  etc.,  that  would  repay 
days  of  study.      It  is  immense  both  in  the  literal  and  the  slang  sense. 

Of  course,  we  also  had  to  see  the  Wirt  collection  of  paintings;  fantastic, 
gruesome,  horrible  in  the  main,  yet  also  very  clever.  The  work  of  a  man  who 
eventually   became    insane. 

For  this,  our  last  evening  in  Brussels,  we  had  both  Mrs.  Alleyne  and  Mary 
to  dinner.  We  learned  that  Mrs.  Alleyne  is  exercising  the  profession  of  trained 
nurse,  when  she  told  us  that  she  had  a  call  that  day  to  take  a  case,  which  she 


215 

refused  because  of  our  dinner  engagement,  but  was  going  to  take  next  morning. 
It  was  that  of  a  sick  man,  who  was  also  insane.  Two  nurses  were  required  and 
the  other  one  would  get  along  alone  until  she  arrived. 

During  all  my  travels  in  Holland  and  Belgium  I  observed  the  crops  closely 
and  found  them  excellent,  particularly  the  beets.  A  strange  feature  that  I 
cannot  explain  is  that  in  Holland  very  markedly,  and  to  a  slight  extent  in 
Belgium,  there  were  seed  stalks  in  most  of  the  beet  fields,  while  I  had  not  noticed 
any  in  either  France  or  Germany.      Of  course  the  season  is  now  more  advanced. 

When  in  Amsterdam  1  had  a  evry  pleasant  interview  with  Mr.  Van  der 
Shalck  of  the  firm  of  Hubrecht,  Van  Harenscarpel  and  Van  Visser,  the  friends 
of  Colonel  Duval,  who  are  interested  in  the  stock  of  the  A.  B.  S.  Co.  We  also 
called  at  the  address  of  Mr.  Elzinga,  our  fellow  passenger  of  the  "Grotius",  but 
he  was  out  of  town. 

We  were  very  much  pleased  with  the  treatment  we  received  at  this  hotel. 
BRUSSELS  TO  PARIS,  TUESDAY,  July  27,   1920. 

Our  360  Kilos  of  baggage  for  registration  were  packed  and  ready  over- 
night and  taken  by  the  hotel  conductor  about  7:30  a.  m.  We  followed  with  the 
hand  baggage  an  hour  later. 

We  all,  except  Adeline,  have  valises  that  are  too  large  and  bulky  and  heavy. 
Objection  to  them  has  been  made  several  times  on  this  score.  Once  in  Germany, 
when  I  could  not  get  a  porter,  I  had  to  carry  mine  a  good  distance  in  a  great 
hurry  to  make  a  connection,  and  I  felt  as  if  it  would  break  my  back.  To  get 
them  down  from  the  racks,  which  we  generally  have  to  do  ourselves,  is  quite 
an  exertion. 

Our  route  lay  through  Mons,  St.  Quentin  and  Compiegne  and  we  saw  from 
the  train  a  good  deal  of  war  damage,  but  as  already  stated,  nothing  so  dreadful 
as  our  experience  on  the  trip  to  the  East  of  Paris.  The  landscape  was  varied 
and  interesting  without  being  grand.     The  appearance  of  the  people  was  normal. 

The  hand  baggage  was  examined  in  the  compartments,  but  the  registered 
baggage,  at  Paris.  Only  one  piece  opened  in  each  case.  For  the  first  time  in  our 
travels,  the  passport  examination  at  the  French  frontier  was  very  lax.  The  man 
only  looked  slightly  at  one  passport  of  the  bunch  1  handed  him,  and  that  was 
Adeline's. 

On  reaching  Paris  about  3:30  we  were  met  by  Cook's  courier  who  proved 
very  efficient.  He  had  our  tickets  and  sleepers,  Paris  to  Aix.  He  also  had  an 
omnibus  engaged  to  take  our  traps  from  the  Gare  du  Nord  to  the  Gare  de  Lyon, 
quite  a  distance  apart.  I  went  with  him  to  attend  to  the  baggage  examination, 
transfer  and  re-checking,  while  the  ladies  went  on  various  errands.  I  met  them 
again  at  Rumpelmayer's  and  from  there  went  to  the  American  Express  Company 
to  get  a  trunk  of  Adeline's,  that  we  had  left  in  storage  but  that  she  wanted  for 
Aix.  We  all  went  down  to  the  station  in  a  cab  to  add  it  to  our  baggage  receipt, 
and  from  there  back  to  Drouant's  restaurant  for  dinner. 

As  the  train  did  not  leave  till  9:35  we  had  ample  time.  We  had  expected 
to  meet  Jeanne  at  the  station  but  she  did  not  appear.  We  got  ourselves  settled 
in  the  sleeper  and  then  I  went  out  again  and  hunted  high  and  low  for  her,  even 
waiting  at  the  ticket  gate  until  I  barely  caught  the  train,  but  she  was  left 
behind. 

We  felt  quite  anxious  about  her  and,  not  knowing  her  Paris  address,  I 
telegraphed  the  next  day  to  the  Athenee,  from  where  we  got  her,  to  ask  them 
to  help  her  on  her  way  to  us. 


216 

She  showed  up  at  Aix  the  morning  after  us  with  a  long  story  about  delays 
of  the  tram  and  the  "Metro",  w^ith  a  w^ild  dash  for  the  train  at  the  last  second 
and  being  prevented  from  boarding  it  w^hile  in  motion  by  the  officials.  As  I  had 
myself  boarded  the  train  in  motion  and  saw  nothing  of  all  this,  I  believe  it  was 
just  a  good  story  to  save  her  face.  She  just  suits  us,  however,  and  we  like  her 
very  much,  so  we  are  very  willing,  apparently,  to  accept  her  story  at  face  value. 

We    all    had    a    comfortable    night    and    woke    up    in    the    morning    in    the 
picturesque   and   beautiful   scenery   of   Savoy. 
Mailed  from  Aix-les-Bains,  July   31.    1920. 

P.  S. — 1  had  made  a  list  of  all  the  letters  received  since  last  mailing  the  diary, 
in  order  to  acknowledge  receipt  of  them  as  usual — unfortunately  I  have 
either  lost  or  mislaid  it. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 
France  HI.) 


219 

AIX  LES  BAINS.  WEDNESDAY.  July  28.   1920. 

1  have  found  the  Hat  of  letters  referred  to  in  the  last  diary,  and  it  is  as 
follows : 

Col.  Duval,  7/7.  regarding  the  production  of  yeast  from  molasses,  which 
was  answered  by  cable;  also  another  one  acknowledging  receipt  of  my  letter 
from  Frankfort. 

B.A.O.,  7/16.  about  his  inability  to  sell  refined  against  his  last  purchase  of 
September  raws,  before  the  break  in  prices. 

H.T.O.,  July  3.  9  and  20,  regarding  his  wife.  Marie's  health  and  Adeline. 

E.C.H.,  July  9,  with  news  of  his  family  in  answer  to  my  inquiries,  also  re- 
porting unfavorable  agricultural   conditions   in   Northern   Colorado. 

Mayo  Newhall,  a  dictated  letter  in  his  best  vein  of  humorous  comment.  I 
cannot  but  admire   greatly   his  wonderful  courage  and   stoicism   under  adversity. 

Jessie  Kaufman,  a  well  written  letter  to  Nellie,  enclosing  a  previous  one  that 
she  had  sent  to   Calcutta  and  which  was  returned  to  her. 

M.D.O.,  No.   30,    7/7,   interesting  family  news. 

S.S.W.,  July  8  and  another  later  one.  In  the  first  she  says  she  will  meet  us 
in  New  York  but  in  the  next  she  throws  doubt  upon  it.  We  will,  therefore,  ask 
Ben  or  Henry  to  engage  rooms  for  us  at  the  Plaza. 

Miss  Slusher,   6/28,   with  personal  accounts. 

Herrod,  July  3,   interesting  postings. 

AIX  LES  BAINS.  WEDNESDAY.  July  28.   1920. 

We  arrived  on  time  at  7:30  a.m.  and  proceeded  to  the  Astoria  Hotel, 
w^here  we  had  engaged  rooms  by  wire,  through  the  manager  of  the  Astoria  Hotel 
in  Brussels.  On  arrival  there  we  did  not  like  the  looks  of  the  place,  which 
seemed  rather  second  class.  Therefore,  we  did  not  make  any  permanent 
arrangement.  The  Astoria  is  located  in  town,  on  the  same  square  as  the  bath- 
ing establishment,   and  therefore,   is  very  conveniently  situated. 

The  town  of  Aix  (10,000  inhabitants)  is  situated  almost  on  the  shores  of 
Lake  Bourget.  which  is  said  to  be  the  largest  and  finest  lake  in  France,  although 
we  would  call  it  a  small  lake.  It  lies  at  the  bottom  of  a  valley  between  two 
mountains,  and  their  spurs.  Mt.  Revard  on  the  Elast  (5.000  feet),  and  Dent  du 
Chat,  a  huge  pile  of  rock,  on  the  West  (4.000  feet).  It  is  the  lake  that  inspired 
Lamartine  to  write  his  celebrated  poem  **Le  Lac".  The  town  extends  up  the 
slope  toward  Mt.  Revard,  and  on  the  higher  ground  are  situated  the  most  attrac- 
tive hotels.  The  Splendide — Royal — Excelsior,  all  connected  together  and  run 
as  one,  and  the  Mirabeau,  the  newest  and,  we  think,   the  best. 

We  first  went  to  the  Splendide,  etc.,  but  they  were  full,  so  we  next  tried 
the  Mirabeau,  and  managed  to  get  very  satisfactory  quarters.  One  double  room 
and  two  single  rooms  with  baths,  all  overlooking  the  lake.     Price  330  francs. 

The  view  is  a  perfect  joy.  The  lake  varies,  according  to  the  time  of  day 
and  the  weather  conditions,  from  a  sheet  of  dazzling  sapphire  blue,  through 
different  gradations,  to  a  soft  green  opal.  The  cloud  effects  are  wonderful. 
There  are  showers  and  thunderstorms  almost  every  other  afternoon  or  evening, 
but  the  days  are   generally  bright  and  favorable  for  excursions. 

The  restaurant  is  rather  expensive  but  very  good.  Owing  to  the  cure,  the 
ladies  often  eat  a  la  carte,  but  I,  who  do  not  care  to  get  thin,  stick  to  the  table 
d'hote.  We  have  all  cut  out  the  booze,  except  an  occasional  liqueur,  and  every 
one  feels  fine. 


220 

We  were  recommended  to  consult  Dr.  Chesnau  about  our  cure  and  called 
upon  him  the  very  first  day.  He  examined  us  all  pretty  thoroughly  and  indicated 
the  various  treatments  and  diets  that  each  should  take.  He  found  my  blood 
pressure  high,  Nellie's  and  Marie  Louise's  normal  and  Adeline's  sub-normal. 
The  girls  clamored  lustily  for  the  most  extreme  measures  that  would  make  them 
thin,  which  the  Doctor  could  not  understand  and  only  partially  acceded  to. 
My  treatment  consists  of  what  they  call  the  Douche,  which  is  massage  of  all 
the  body,  under  water  flowing  from  a  hose  directed  by  the  attendant.  In  addi- 
tion to  its  sulphur  contents,  the  spring  water  is  said  to  contain  fine  particles  of 
organic  matter  that  act  like  an  ointment  in  facilitating  massage.  It  is  also  sup- 
posed to  be  radio  active  and  its  curative  properties  have  been  highly  regarded, 
and  extensively  used,  since  the  time  of  the  Romans.  We  all  take  the  Douche 
and  in  addition  the  young  ladies  take  the  "bouillon",  and  Nellie  takes  "la  caisse", 
which  are  forms  of  "sweat  boxes".  Also,  we  all  drink  several  glasses  a  day  of 
the  "Eau  des  deux  Reines",  which  is  a  diuretic  water. 

We  were  all  weighed  the  first  day  as  a  check,  and  while  1  will  not  commit 
w^hat  most  ladies  consider  the  unpardonable  sin  of  revealing  their  weight,  I  w^ill 
unblushingly  admit  that  I  weighed  in  my  clothes  143  pounds.  I  find  this  to  be 
the  same  as  I  weighed  at  Garoet  in  Java  and  a  little  less  than  when  I  left  home. 

After  a  day  or  two,  Adeline  obtained  the  consent  of  the  Doctor  to  go  on  an 
exclusively  milk  diet,  which  she  kept  up  for  a  couple  of  days. 

At  the  end  of  a  week  we  were  all  weighed  again  with  the  result  that  Marie 
Louise  had  lost  6  pounds,  Nellie  3  pounds,  Adeline  nothing  and  I  had  gained 
2  pounds.  The  cure  was  evidently  too  severe  for  M.  L.  so  she  stopped  it,  but 
continued  her  diet.  Nellie  made  no  change.  Adeline  stopped  the  milk  diet, 
and  instead  took  the  regular  meals  and  massage  at  the  hotel.  This,  by  the  way, 
I  also  have  regularly. 

As  will  be  observed  I  am  writing  the  tale  of  Aix  les  Bains  as  a  continuous 
story  instead  of  a  serial,  for  the  daily  routine  does  n,ot  lend  itself  to  the  latter. 

Aix  has  a  "Casino"  and  a  "Villa  des  Fleurs",  places  of  amusement  adjoin- 
ing each  other  and  to  both  of  which  one  card  admits.  We  had  expected  to  use 
these  a  great  deal,  as  there  are  operatic  or  theatrical  performances  and  concerts 
given  there  every  day.  As  a  matter  of  fact  we  go  there  very  little.  The  fore- 
noon is  all  taken  up  with  the  cures.  The  evenings  have  often  been  rainy  and 
we  have  continued  to  play  bridge  in  our  rooms,  a  good  many  nights. 

It  is  not  owing  to  the  difficulty  of  getting  around  for  the  Mirabeau, 
the  Splendide  and  several  other  hotels,  have  each  a  private  line  of  busses,  that 
give  splendid  service  between  the  hotels  and  the  lower  town  until  12  o'clock 
at  night,  at  reasonable  rates. 

There  are  no  facilities  at  the  bath  house  for  lying  down  or  lounging  after 
the  bath,  to  cool  off  gradually.  This  has  to  be  done  at  the  hotels.  For  those 
that  are  not  provided  with  closed  conveyances,  as  in  our  hotel,  there  is  a  service 
of  small  sedan  chairs,  entirely  closed  in,  and  carried  by  two  men,  to  take  you 
back  from  the  bath  to  your  room. 

We  were  much  surprised  one  afternoon,  soon  after  our  arrival,  to  meet  at 
one  of  the  little  tables  in  front  of  the  Kiosque  of  the  "Deux  Reines"  Spring, 
where  people  sit  to  sip  the  water,  Jennie  Blair  with  her  cousin,  Mrs.  MacCalum 
and  her  guest,  Isabel  O'Connor.  They  are  here  for  a  full  cure  of  three  weeks, 
and  an  after  cure  at  Lake  D'Annecq,  in  the  vicinity,  for  another  week.  We  have 
seen  a  good  deal  of  them  and  have  already  gone  with  them  on  three  very  fine 
motor  excursions.      There  are  seven  of  us  and  by  paying  for  one  extra  seat,   we 


221 

get  an  eight-seat  bus  all  to  ourselves  and  at  lesser  cost  than  a  private  motor. 

The  first  excursion  was  on  a  day  of  rest  in  the  cure,  prescribed  by  the 
Doctor,  so  we  started  at  1 0  o'clock  to  visit  the  Monastery  of  the  Grande 
Chartreuse.  The  scenery  on  the  route  is  superb.  It  reminds  one  in  a  way  of 
Yosemite,  without  the  waterfalls,  and  far  less  grand.  We  lunched  near  the  Mon- 
astery and  then  visited  it  with  quite  a  large  party,  being  Sunday.  The  empty 
building  is  kept  in  repair  by  the  Government  and  possesses  no  great  interest  for 
the  sight-seer.  The  return  by  another  route  was  equally  enjoyable, 
sight-seer.      The  return  by  another  route  was   equally  enjoyable. 

The  second  excursion  was  only  for  the  afternoon.  We  went  through  the 
Valleys  of  the  Beauges  and  the  Isere,  celebrated  beauty  spots  of  this  beautiful 
land,  and  had  a  thoroughly  satisfactory  afternoon.  Unfortunately  Marie  Louise 
could  not  go,  so  we  asked  Count  and  Countess  Guebhard,  friends  of  Isabel, 
to  fill  up  our  motor.  She  is  originally  from  Boston.  She  was  w^ell  off  but  he 
"managed"  her  fortune  to  the  vanishing  point.  He  is  an  exceedingly  agreeable 
and  well  informed  man,  in  spite  of  not  being  a  financeer,  and  1  enjoyed  talking 
with  him.  He  was  in  Constantinople  when  the  war  broke  out,  employed  in  some 
one  of  the  missions  managing  some  of  the  Turkish  services.  He  was  an  officer 
of  artillery  and  served  on  most  of  the  fronts.  Their  furniture  is  still  in  Con- 
stantinople. He  had,  at  one  time,  some  civil  service  position  in  Africa  and  had 
great  opportunities  for  big  game  shooting,  elephant,  buffalo,  hippopotamus, 
etc.  He  is  also  an  art  connoisseur  and  has  done  considerable  buying  and  selling 
of  rare  oriental  rugs,  etc. 

Our  third  motor  trip  was  yesterday  (8th)  around  Lake  Bourget  and  up 
through  the  Col  or  pass  of  the  Dent  du  Chat  (Cat's  tooth),  that  we  see  so  well 
across  the  lake  from  our  balconies.  It  was  enjoyable  but  not  up  to  the  others, 
though  well  worth  while. 

In  addition  to  these  motor  trips,  we  went  one  afternoon  by  cog  wheel  rail- 
road to  the  top  of  Mont  Revard,  back  of  Aix,  and  had  a  wonderful  view  of  all 
the  surrounding  mountain  country,  even  as  far  as  Mont  Blanc;  also  a  delight- 
ful view  of  the  lake  and  of  Aix. 

From  the  end  of  the  cog  railroad  there  is  a  short  but  stiff  climb  to  an 
observatory  and  this,  at  5,000  feet  altitude,  was  too  much  for  Nellie,  who  suf- 
fered discomfort  from  her  heart  for  a  couple  of  days.  Unfortunately  Adeline 
did  not  feel  up  to   going  with  us  that  afternoon. 

We  have  met  here  Mrs.  MacMonagle  and  a  Miss  Choate,  who  is  travelling  with 
her.  She  is  a  niece  of  Embassador  Choate  and  knows  all  the  Cuttings  well. 
Mrs.  M.  invited  us  to  tea.  She  talks  as  if  Europe  would  be  her  permanent  resi' 
dence   quite   definitely. 

Isabel  O'Connor  knows  a  lot  of  people.  She  introduced  me  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Saavedra,  who  motored  through  here  the  other  day.  She  is  a  Philadelphian, 
brought  up  in  Europe,  who  married  a  Cuban  some  ten  years  ago.  He  also  has 
been  brought  up  in  Europe  but  knows  the  Zaldos,  the  Mendozas  and  that  class 
of  people.      The  marriage  has  turned  out  very  well. 

The  other  night  they  sang  Carmen  at  the  Villa  des  Fleurs  and,  as  neither  of 
our  girls  had  heard  it,  we  secured  a  table  in  the  restaurant,  which  is  back  of  the 
orchestra  seats  and  from  w^here  we  could  see  and  hear  very  w^ell.  It  was  not  a 
first  class  performance,  but  as  an  adjunct  to  the  dinner  it  was  all  right. 

A  Mr.  Lowndes,  whom  we  had  met  at  the  Messers  in  London,  had  invited 
the  Blair  outfit.  He  was  born  in  San  Francisco  of  an  English  father  and  an 
American    mother.       His    aunt    was    Mrs.    Shillaber.       The    Saavedras    and    the 


222 

Guebhards  were  also  dining  together,  so  that  we  intermingled  later,  as  the  opera 
did  not  end  until  after  12.  I  staked  the  girls  for  a  shot  at  the  "petits  chevaux" 
with  the  expected  disastrous  results.  I  have  played  roulette  with  two  zeros  and 
the  "eagle  bird"  running  for  the  bank,  but  that  is  a  liberal  game  compared  to 
the  "petits  chevaux".  And  still  you  could  hardly  edge  into  the  crowd  around 
the  tables  for  a  chance  to  drop  your  money. 

We  had  the  Blair,  MacCullum,  O'Connor  party  up  to  dinner  at  the  hotel 
and,  by  special  request,  I  dressed  my  lettuce  and  tomato  salad  with  garlic.  I 
had  been  warned  to  make  plenty,  and  I  thought  I  had,  but  they  all  said  they 
would  have  liked  another  helping.  All  of  which  was  very  gratifying  to  my 
gastronomical  pride.  After  dinner  we  went  up  to  my  bedroom,  which  Jeanne 
calls  the  "Salon",  and  played  bridge  at  a  franc  a  hundred  until  midnight,  when 
the  last  bus  leaves  for  tow^n. 

The  Blairs  are  stopping  at  the  Hotel  de  I'Europe,  near  the  Casino.  The 
hotel  has  beautiful  grounds  and  an  excellent  cuisine  but  not  a  bathroom  (that's 
what  Jennie  Blair  said).  Of  course  it  is  not  so  bad  as  it  sounds,  where  everyone 
takes  the  cure  baths,  but  it  is  peculiar  to  say  the  least.  The  French  are  not 
very  strong  on  either  bathing  or  fresh  air,  but  they  certainly  seem  to  live  as 
long  as  any  other  people. 

It  only  takes  3  or  4  minutes  by  the  bus  from  the  hotel  to  the  bath  house 
and  even  walking,  by  a  short  cut,  it  only  takes  5  to  7  minutes  to  get  down. 
We  often  do  this  and  the  girls  also  frequently  walk  up.  They  also  take  long 
walks  around  the   outskirts. 

Both  of  them  have  given  up  the  cure  baths,  Marie  Louise  because  they  did 
not  agree  with  her  and  she  had  lost  enough,  and  Adeline,  because  she  did  not 
lose  and  decided  to  take  massage  instead.  Perhaps  if  she  had  persisted  she 
would  have  got  the  desired  result. 

One  day  when  Nellie  was  walking  down  she  turned  her  ankle  and  got 
quite  a  bad  fall  on  her  knees,  one  of  them  making  a  hole  in  her  silk  dress.  The 
ankle  swelled  quite  rapidly  and  we  called  in  the  Doctor,  who  said  it  would  take 
her  three  weeks  to  get  over  it.  He  massaged  it  with  vaseline  and  bandaged  it 
and  wanted  her  to  go  to  bed  and  keep  perfectly  still.  That  is  just  the  opposite 
of  the  modern  American  practice,  which  we  decided  to  follow.  It  was  not  very 
painful,  so  Nellie  continued  to  use  it,  and  I  massaged  it  once  or  twice,  after 
which  she  had  my  regular  masseuse  treat  it.  After  one  day  she  walked  as  well 
as  ever,  to  the  great  surprise  of  Doctor  and  masseuse. 

We  get  a  good  deal  of  fun  speculating  about  our  fellow  boarders.  Isabelle 
O'Connor  discovered  in  one  of  them  a  very  celebrated  Parisian  woman  of  the 
vampire  type.  All  through  our  voyage  Nellie  and  I  have  been  constantly  dis- 
covering resemblances  to  some  of  our  friends,  but  it  was  only  here  that  we 
found  anyone  to  remind  us  of  the  family.  This  is  a  man  whose  expression  is 
somewhat  like  James  when  he  was  younger. 

I  am  writing  this  on  the  1 0th,  and  will  post  it  today  so  as  not  to  make  too 
long  a  break  between  installments  of  the  Diary.  We  all  leave  tomorrow  with 
regret,  although  we  have  not  tried  to  enter  much  into  the  alleged  gayeties  that 
one  reads  about  in  the  papers.  We  have  rested  and  it  has  done  us  good.  My 
blood  pressure  has  come  dow^n  to  normal.  Aix  calls  herself  "The  Queen  of 
resorts  and  the  resort  of  Queens".  We  agree  with  the  first  and  the  application 
of  the  second  to  our  party  is  obvious. 

Mailed  August    10,    1920. 


223 

AIX  LES  BAINS,  August   10.   1920. 

This  evening  we  had  Mrs.  MacMonagle  to  dinner  and  I  think  she  enjoyed  it, 
as  we  certainly  did.  She  seems  wedded  to  her  life  in  France,  and  apparently 
has  no  idea  of  going  back  to  America  except  for  visits.  But,  of  course,  many 
things  might  occur  to  change  her  plans.  For  instance  she  is  a  very  attractive 
w^oman  and  it  would  not  be  strange  if  she  married  again,  though  nothing  what- 
ever in  her  manner  gives  that  impression.  We  would  have  hesitated  to  say 
much  about  her  dead  son,  but  she  herself  frequently  brings  his  name  into  the 
conversation. 

We  settled  up  with  the  Doctor  who  charged  us  each  200  francs,  which  he 
said  was  the  minimum  tariff,  and  which  was  quite  enough  for  the  little  that  he 
could  do  for  us.  He  was  very  attentive,  however,  and  looked  us  up  at  the  baths 
almost  every  day.  Not  knowing  the  ropes,  or  anything  about  the  curative 
properties  of  the  different  waters  and  treatments  it  was,  of  course,  quite  neces- 
sary to  consult  a  doctor,  but  if  I  ever  went  back  to  Aix,  as  I  certainly  should  if 
I  spent  another  summer  in  France,  1  would  dispense  with  such  service.  1  would 
also  return  to  the  Mirabeau  and  try  to  get  the  same  rooms,  as  the  view  from 
our  windows  was  a  constant  inspiration.  Mrs.  MacMonagle  said  that  the  hotel 
was  referred  to  as  the  Mirabelle  on  account  of  its  being  so  popular  with  women 
of  a  certain  type,  but  they  did  not  interfere  with  our  enjoyment,  and  this  pref- 
erence shows  that  they  appreciate  a  good  hotel. 

AIX,  WEDNESDAY.  August  11.   1920. 

This  is  our  last  day.  Nellie  and  1  have  taken  thirteen  baths.  If  we  had 
stayed  the  usual  time  of  three  weeks  and  had,  as  is  usual,  rested  from  the  baths 
every  third  day,  it  would  have  given  us  fourteen  baths.  So  we  have  practically 
Tiad  a  full  cure,  and  have  suffered  no  inconvenience  from  continuous  treatments, 
which  is  all  that  the  doctor  required. 

During  the  war,  the  soldiers  were  given  occasional  periods  of  eight  days 
leave  from  duty,  in  order  to  rest  up.  In  the  case  of  the  French,  and  also  to  a 
great  extent  of  the  English,  they  mostly  went  home  for  this  rest.  For  the 
Americans  certain  "rest  areas"  were  selected  for  this  purpose  in  France,  and  of 
these  Aix  was  the  first  and  the  best  patronized.  Excursions  around  the  vicinity 
were  organized  for  them  and  the  Casino  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  several 
American  welfare  services.  Also,  the  numerous  baths  were  thrown  open  to  such 
as  needed  them,  and  altogether  the  place  was  a  great  boon  to  our  boys. 

The  Blair  contingent  called  in  the  afternoon  to  say  goodbye,  and  Mrs. 
MacCullum  brought  a  box  of  candy. 

In  spite  of  every  effort,  we  failed  to  get  back  through  the  police  here,  the 
French  card  of  identity  that  had  been  taken  from  Nellie  and  the  girls  when  they 
left  France  for  England,  so  we  will  have  to  straighten  this  out  at  Paris. 

Our  sleeper  was  placed  on  the  track  in  advance  of  the  time  when  it  was  to 
be  picked  up  by  the  train  for  Paris,  so  we  left  the  hotel  shortly  after  nine  and 
got  ourselves  settled  before  the  train  moved.  Jeanne  was  very  proud  of  travelling 
first  class  and  in  a  wagon-lit.  As  she  is  a  very  garrulous  female,  I  have  no  doubt 
that  the  incident  will  be  long  and  often  commented  upon  to  her  circle  of  friends 
and  acquaintances.  She  also  has  a  very  high  pitched  voice  which  is  an  asset  as 
far  as  Nellie  is  concerned.  1  often  wonder  how  it  is  that  Nellie  understands  her, 
and  is  understood  by  her,  so  well.  As  she  does  not  know^  a  word  of  English,  I 
have  to  admit  that  I  underrated  Nellie's  linguistic  attainments. 

We  all  spent  a  comfortable  night  in  our  incredibly  confined  quarters,  and 
the  next  morning  at  9:30  arrived  at 


224 

PARIS.  THURSDAY,   August    12.    1920. 

The  Ritz  conductor  met  us  by  appointment  and  took  charge  of  our  baggage. 
On  arrival  at  the  hotel  the  clerk  showed  us  up  into  quite  inferior  rooms  to  those 
selected,  making  the  excuse  that  we  had  engaged  the  others  for  the  15th  only. 
He  quite  overlooked  the  fact  that  we  had  notified  them  of  the  change  in  date  and 
had  their  acknowledgment,  saying  our  rooms  would  be  ready.  Thereupon  the 
Manager  appeared  with  profuse  apologies  and  criticisms  of  his  clerk,  and  the 
upshot  was  that  the  other  occupants  were  moved  and  w^e  got  our  rooms  that 
afternoon.  These  rooms,  overlook  the  court  outside  of  the  dining  room,  and 
a  beautiful  garden  beyond  the  hotel  wall.  They  are  on  the  fifth  floor,  perfectly 
quiet,  and  although  they  get  the  afternoon  sun  we  have  not  found  them  too 
hot.  They  are  by  far  the  best  rooms  we  have  ever  had  in  Paris.  Three  rooms 
and  a  sitting  room,   3  bath  rooms — price  440  francs  and    10%. 

At  the  station  we  found  the  chauffeur  whom  we  like  so  much,  Frangois 
Melon,  with  the  little  car  that  we  do  not  like  so  well.  I  asked  him  if  he  could 
get  another  car  and  he  said  he  would  try.  Two  days  later  he  reported  that  he 
had  a  wonderful  chance  to  buy  a  second  hand  car,  if  I  would  help  him  to  finance  it. 
We  went  to  look  at  it  and  found  it  to  be  a  Delaunay-Belleville  limousine,  of  1910 
make,  belonging  to  a  Miss  Bishop  of  New  York,  who  was  connected  with  Miss. 
Anne  Morgan's  reconstruction  work.  We  saw  the  bills  show^ing  that  she  had 
spent  5,000  francs  on  the  body,  and  6,000  francs  on  the  machinery  and  chassis, 
last  Spring,  expecting  to  remain  indefinitely  here.  She  was  suddenly  called  home- 
by  cable  and  Melon  could  buy  the  car  for  20,000  francs  cash,  plus  a  commission 
of  2.000  francs  to  his  friend,  the  chauffeur  of  Miss  Bishop,  to  be  paid  later  on. 
Melon  had  5,0D0  francs,  he  could  get  10,000  from  his  brother,  also  a  chauffeur, 
as  soon  as  he  got  back  from  a  tour  in  ten  days,  and  my  bill  for  his  services  for 
a  month  would  amount  to  the  other  5.000  francs;  so  I  advanced  him  15.000 
francs  and  he  has  since  repaid  8,500.  He  now  drives  his  own  car  instead  of 
being  a  hired  man  and  is  on  the  way  to  independence.  He  is  very  grateful.  The 
new  car  seats  three  comfortably  in  the  back  seat  and  all  is  well. 

I  saw  de  Marville  in  the  afternoon.  He  is  going  to  Vichy  tomorrow  for  a 
cure  and  indicated  what  I  should  do  until  he  sees  me  again. 

There  is  nothing  of  special  interest  to  note  in  the  balance  of  the  week.  It 
took  me  nearly  a  whole  day  to  trace  and  get  delivery  of  the  dress,  that  Nellie 
had  bought  in  Florence  for  Marie  Louise  last  May,  and  some  gloves  that  we  had 
bought  in  Florence  through  Carrie  Greene  for  Marie  Louise  and  Nellie. 

PARIS,  SUNDAY,  August  15,  1920. 

We  motored  to  Fontainebleau  for  luncheon  and  afterwards  went  through 
the  Chateau.  It  was  interesting  and  seemed  new  to  me,  although  I  had  seen  it 
before.  I  am  sure  that  in  a  short  time  it  will  be  only  one  of  the  many  images, 
the  composite  of  which  forms  on  my  brain  the  picture  representing  a  "Chateau". 
The  girls  thought  Madame  de  Maintenon  had  the  most  attractive  rooms.  Ap- 
parently every  one  lived  in  the  open  in  those  days  and  privacy  was  neither 
attained  nor  desired. 

The  beautiful  park  attached  to  the  Palace,  and  the  Forest  of  Fontainebleau 
through  which  it  is  reached,  were  more  to  my  taste. 

The  restaurant  of  the  Ritz  is  dear  but  very  good.  I  do  not  enjoy  it  nearly 
as  much  however  as  if  I  could  whet  my  appetite  with  a  good  cocktail,  and  wash 
down  the  food  with  a  good  bottle  of  wine.  But  I  am  settled  squarely  and  securely 
on  my  seat  on  the  water  wagon,  except  when  I  am  entertaining,  or  am  enter- 
tained by,  friends.      These  are  rare  occasions. 


225 

PARIS,  MONDAY,  August  16,  1920. 
This  is  the  Assumption  and  therefore  a  holiday.  We  celebrated  by  going 
to  the  Pantheon,  and  trying  to  see  Napoleon's  tomb,  which  was  closed,  as  was  also 
the  Luxembourg.  In  Paris  they  keep  most  of  the  public  buildings  open  on  Sun- 
day but  close  them  on  Monday.  This  is  not  a  bad  idea,  as  it  serves  the  public 
when  it  has  leisure  and  then  gives  the  employees  their  day  of  rest. 

We  wound  up  the  day  by  all  going  to  Foyot's  for  a  delicious  dinner,  after 
which  Nellie  went  back  to  the  hotel  while  the  girls  and  myself  went  to  the  Odeon, 
to  see  a  comedy  by  Alfred  de  Musset  entitled  Carmosine.  The  acting  was  very 
good,   but  the  play  was  not   "gripping". 

For  dinner  we  had  two  specialties  of  the  house;  "Filet  de  Sole  Foyot"  with 
a  wonderful  sauce,  pronounced  by  all  AAl,  and  "Canneton  au  Chambertin",  a 
variation  of  Frederic's  "Canneton  a  la  presse".  Opinions  were  divided  as  to 
whether  or  not  it  equalled  the  "Tour  d' Argent"  Classic. 

PARIS,  TUESDAY,  August  17,  1920. 
We  had  been  speculating  since  the  1  3th,  the  day  of  Henry's  sale  of  yearlings 
at  Saratoga,  what  the  result  had  been  and  were  much  pleased  to  receive  today 
his  telegram  saying  "Satisfactory  sale,  nearly  the  same  as  last  year".  If  I 
remember  right  he  averaged  last  year  about  $1,800,  and  this  figure,  for  such  a 
large  lot  as  he  had  this  year,  seems  very   good. 

I  get  the  London  Times  delivered  in  Paris  by  aeroplane  in  the  afternoon  of 
the  day  of  publication.  From  this  I  learn  every  day  how  the  market  for  sugar 
futures  closes  in  New  York.  I  was  very  much  alarmed  at  the  rapid  and  con- 
tinuous decline,  in  connection  with  the  impossibility  of  selling  the  refined  product 
at  Savannah,  against  the  raws  bought  for  future  delivery  at  high  prices.  I  have 
been  in  correspondence  by  cable  with  Ben  on  the  subject,  but  the  situation 
remains  full  of  grave  anxiety  at  this  date   (21st). 

There  is  little  to  mark  off  the  days  of  the  balance  of  this  week  one  from 
the  other. 

The  ladies  have  started  in  energetically  to  get  the  clothes  that  they  are  to 
take  home.  It  is  hard  work,  as  they  are  anxious  to  do  the  best  possible  in  style 
and  price.  Every  day  they  go  to  one  or  another  of  the  dressmakers,  to  see  the 
parades  of  the  models  worn  by  the  mannikins,  and  after  several  hours  of  this 
they  come  back  tired  out.  Callot,  Beer,  Madeleine,  Champot,  Drecol,  etc., 
etc.  I  hear  these  names  and  others  bandied  back  and  forth,  with  the  merits  and 
demerits  of  the  several  models,  which  are  known  by  names;  also  particulars 
of  prices  and  materials,  until  I  am  thoroughly  convinced  that  men  are  wiser 
in  this  respect  than  women,  in  having  adopted  a  conventional  costume  from 
which  there  is  very  little  variation  possible. 

On  Wednesday  night  I  took  the  girls  to  the  Comedie  Fran^aise  theatre.  It 
began  at  eight  and  ended  at  twelve.  There  were  three  plays  and  the  entre-actes 
were  interminably  long,  as  is  usual  in  France.  But  the  girls  have  taken  like 
ducks  to  water  to  the  practice  of  going  out  into  the  Foyer  between  the  acts  and 
having  a  lemonade  or  something  equivalent. 

There  was  first  a  curtain  raiser  of  one  act,  "The  violin  of  Cremorne",  a 
touching  romantic  skit.  Then  we  had  Moliere's  "Les  femmes  savantes",  always 
interesting,  even  though  I  don't  particularly  fancy  Moliere's  exaggeration.  The 
third  playlet  of  one  act,  entitled  "L'Anglais  tel  qu'il  est  parle",  was  a  broad 
farce,  representing  the  struggles  of  a  man  who  speaks  no  English,  but  who  has 
accepted  the  position  of  interpreter  in   a   hotel.      It   was   exquisitely   funny,   par- 


226 

ticularly  to  one  who  speaks  both  languages.  The  French  audience  must  have 
lost  a  great  deal.      The  acting  throughout  was  excellent,  as  was  to  be  expected. 

The  serious  nature  of  the  political  situation  has  depreciated  the  French 
franc,  and  we  have  taken  advantage  of  this  to  draw  money  against  most  of  the 
expenses  that  we  will  incur  before  leaving.  The  girls  take  an  absorbing  interest 
in  this,  as  it  affects  the  amount  they  are  to  have  at  their  disposal.  Marie  Louise 
particularly  is  most  methodical  in  her  calculations.  A  suggestion  that  I  made, 
to  get  a  rise  out  of  her,  that  as  she  w^as  getting  more  francs  than  she  expected, 
her  mother  would  be  pleased  if  she  did  not  draw  the  full  amount  authorized, 
w^as,   as   I   expected,   laughed  to  scorn. 

The  Erskine-Bolsts  have  arrived  in  Paris  from  their  cure,  for  a  few  days 
before  going  to  Deauville.  She  has  lost  only  five  pounds,  but  it  seems  much 
more.  By  the  way,  Adeline,  when  she  came  to  check  up  on  leaving  Aix,  found 
that  she  also  had  lost  nearly  five  pounds  and  w^as  much  pleased. 

I  was  introduced  by  the  Bolsts  to  a  rich  Washington  widow  by  the  name  of 
McDonald.  Nellie  had  already  met  her  through  Mrs.  Marye.  As  Mrs.  Bolst  does 
not  play  bridge,  her  husband  and  Mrs.  McDonald  have  come  to  our  room  to 
play  a  couple  of  times  and  we  have  had  some  good  games.  Bolst  is  a  splendid 
player.      He  is  very  attractive;    manly,  amiable  and  bright. 

I  don't  know  if  I  have  mentioned  that  w^e  play  bridge  among  ourselves  a 
good  deal  at  night.  Nellie  and  1  against  the  girls.  We  are  several  thousand 
points   ahead   of  thenn  so   far. 

I  received  some  days  ago  a  letter  from  Ella  Howe,  who  said  she  expected 
to  be  in  Paris  about  the  1 6th  for  a  week  and  would  look  us  up.  She  said  she 
w^ould  stop  at  the  Hotel  Massena.  I  could  find  no  such  hotel,  either  in  the  tele- 
phone book  or  the  directory,  and,  not  having  heard  from  Ella,  was  afraid  I  was 
going  to  miss  her.  Quite  by  accident,  because  one  of  the  porters  here  had  a 
friend  working  there,  1  got  trace  of  the  hotel,  which  was  formerly  called  the 
Egli-International  and  is  still  under  that  name  in  the  telephone  book.  Ella  is  to 
come  to  lunch  with  us  on  Monday. 

The  Bolsts  invited  us  to  dine  on  Saturday  at  the  Cafe  de  Madrid,  near  the 
Bois,  the  other  guests  being  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nixon,  parents  of  her  son-in-law.  Miss 
Case,  a  soprano  concert  singer  and  Captain  Bowers,  a  lawyer  of  New  York, 
who  fought  in  France  and  has  lived  here  a  good  deal.  His  sister  has  just  bought 
a  place  at  Santa   Barbara. 

We  had  a  very  good  dinner  which  I  thoroughly  enjoyed,  with  liquid  accom- 
paniments. 

We  arranged  for  the  girls  to  go  to  the  theatre  with  Miss  Kline  that  night. 
They  went  to  see  a  play  suggested  by  Miss  Kline,  but  which  turned  out  to  be  as 
risky  as  trusting  to  a  gun  that  is  not  loaded,  (supposedly).  If  the  mothers  of 
our  girls  sue  me  when  we  get  back,  for  having  debased  the  moral  nature  of  their 
daughters,  1  shall  have  to  plead  guilty  unless  I  can  get  a  Frenchman  on  the 
jury.  The  worst  of  it  was  that  Marie  Louise's  beau  was  of  the  party.  He  had 
taken  M.  L.  (with  his  mother)  to  Versailles  that  afternoon  and  he  asked  if  he 
could  take  her  and  Adeline  to  the  theatre.  M.  L.  replied  that  she  thought  we 
already  had  tickets,  hoping  to  substitute  him  for  Miss  Kline.  This  being 
impossible,  he  was  asked  to  dinner  and  by  hook  or  crook,  he  managed  to  get  a 
seat  near  theirs.  It  appears  that  when  things  were  getting  mixed  on  the 
stage  he  said,    **lf  you  don't  mind  it,   I   don't." 

I  must  tell  about  the  beau.  His  name  is  Guynet.  He  was  in  San  Francisco, 
attached    to    a    French    mission    that    went    to    Siberia.       He    is    in    business     (his 


227 

father's)  in  Morocco,  and  was  shot,  or  poisoned,  or  both,  out  there  and  is  conse- 
quently in  delicate  health.  However,  he  is  returning  there  next  week.  He  is 
nice,  though  rather  frail  looking,  and  wears  a  monocle.  He  seems  to  be  giving 
Marie  Louise  quite  a  rush.  The  other  day  he  took  her  and  Adeline  with  his 
mother  and  sister  to  the  Bois  to  tea.  He  telephones  constantly.  Calls  frer- 
quently,  and  speaks  English  perfectly.  For  further  particulars  apply  to  M.L.W. 
c/o  Credit  Lyonnais,  Paris. 
Mailed  August   22.    1920. 

PARIS,  MONDAY,  August  23,    1920. 

List  of  letters  received  since  last  acknowledgment. 

M.D.O.,  Nos.  31  and  32,  July  18  and  August  1.  I  hope  that  Tommy  en- 
joyed the  "jambalaya"  that  Louie  cooked  for  him.  We  are  glad  that  you  took 
him   over  the  house. 

S.S.W.,  July  3  1 ,  also  two  letters  to  M.L.  which  we  enjoy  just  as  much. 

B.A.O.,  August  6,  and  two  cables — I  now  understand  the  Savannah  situa- 
tion, which  was  further  explained  by  Henry's  last  letter. 

H.T.O.,  July  29,  August  3  and  9 — I  am  writing  him. 

R.H.S.,  July  31 — with  a  statement  (unexpurgated)  of  the  E.  W.  Hopkins 
affair. 

M.P.O.,  July  31 — a  most  appreciative  letter  of  thanks  for  what  we  are 
doing  for  Adeline.  We  are  much  pleased  to  learn  how  well  she  is  getting  on 
after   her   operation. 

Adele — from  Montecito,  July  21.  A  very  interesting  letter  as  far  as  I  have 
been  able  to  decipher  it.  This  should  not  be  taken  too  literally  as  it  is  partly, 
but  not  entirely,  an  attempt  to  be  funny. 

B.O.S.y  July  2 1 ,  with  much  appreciated  details  of  the  technical  side  of 
Savannah. 

Ruth,  August  5 — the  subject  of  the  children  never  palls,  and  the  matter  of 
clothes  is  having  attention. 

Mountford  Wilson,  August  2 — After  learning  all  that  Flora  went  through, 
it  seems  a  blessed  miracle  that  she  is  still  spared  to  us. 

Judie  Sanderson,  August  5 — We  have  never  received  a  more  cordial, 
•weeter  and   kinder   letter   from   a    friend. 

Miss  Slusher — Thanks  for  the   good  wishes  and  the  a/cs. 

Ella  Howe,  August    14 — ^Announcing  her  arrival  in  Paris. 

Tom  F.  Oxnard  of  Arizona — Letter  of  thanks  and  report  on  health. 

PARIS,  Week  from  SUNDAY,  August  22d  to 
SATURDAY,  August  28.  inclusive. 
Ella  Howe  and  her  friend  lunched  with  us  on  Monday.  Ella  is  looking  very 
well.  The  friend  is  a  peculiar  looking  girl,  so  much  so  that  I  think  she  must 
have  had  an  accident  that  affected  her  expression — perhaps  including  some 
surgical  operation,  though  1  could  see  no  trace  of  the  knife.  She  is  bright  and 
intelligent,  however.  They  are  both  very  much  dissatisfied  with  the  manage- 
ment of  the  Temple  Tours,  under  whose  auspices  they  are  travelling.  They 
have  paid  for  first-class  accommodation  but  are  getting  third  class.  At  the 
commencement  of  the  trip,  say  in  Sicily,  there  were  about  twenty  in  the  party, 
but  now  it  has  grown  to  sixty,  a  number  that  is  quite  unmanageable  in  these 
days   of   limited   accommodations.      They   said   the   lunch   we   gave   them  was  the 


228 

first  really  good  food  they  had  tasted  in  Paris,  which  is  quite  inexcusable.  They 
reached  Paris  late  at  night,  and,  owing  to  its  being  a  holiday,  there  were  no 
carriages  to  meet  them  and  they  had  to  get  to  their  hotel  by  the  underground, 
carrying  their  hand  baggage  with  them.  They  were  leaving  early  on  the  second 
day  following,  so  we  will  not  get  a  chance  to  see  Ella  again,  which  I  regret. 

I  don't  think  that  I  mentioned  in  its  proper  place  that  we  met  Lucille 
Thornton  at  the  entrance  of  Claridge's  in  London.  She  was  leaving  the  next 
day  for  the  Continent  with  Mrs.  McCreery,  so  we  did  not  see  anything  more  of 
her.  Nellie  got  a  letter  from  her  here,  asking  her  to  be  sure  and  see  Mrs.  Cotton, 
the  artist  that  painted  her  portrait  in  New  York  some  years  ago.  It  so  happened 
that  Nellie  had  already  met  her.  They  went  to  tea  at  her  studio  and  she  asked 
Adeline  to  sit  for  her,  without  any  obligation  to  buy  the  portrait.  Adeline 
accepted  gleefully  and  is  now  going  through  with  it.  I  had  understood  it  was 
to  be  a  mere  sketch,  but  it  appears  otherwise  now.  While  it  is  perfectly  under- 
stood that  there  is  no  obligation  incurred,  I  am  sorry  that  the  matter  came  up 
at  all. 

The  other  day  Adeline  got  a  cable  from  her  father  again  suggesting  that,  if 
convenient,  she  should  go  and  visit  Nadine  Kolowrat.  That  very  day  a  young 
French  officer.  Captain  Lachouques,  telephoned  to  Adeline  and  said  that  he  had 
just  arrived  from  Prague  and  heard,  through  the  French  Embassy  there,  that 
she  and  her  sister  desired  to  find  an  escort  to  go  there;  that  he  was  returning 
next  Thursday  and  would  be  glad  to  afford  them  any  assistance  or  protection 
they  needed.  Meanwhile  Adeline  had  heard  from  Nadine  that  if  she  came  on, 
Nadine  would  meet  her  at  Prague. 

Marie  Louise  does  not  care  to  go,  so  I  considered  the  question  of  letting 
Adeline  go  w^ith  a  maid,  under  the  Captain's  escort.  1  had  an  interview  with 
him  and  found  he  was  a  military  courrier  between  Paris  and  Warsaw;  that  they 
would  leave  here  at  7  p.  m.  and  get  to  Warsaw  at  midnight  of  the  following 
day;  that  he  could  not  himself  stop  off  at  Prague  but  must  continue  to  Warsaw, 
so  that  if  through  telegraphic  delay,  or  from  any  other  cause,  Nadine  did  not 
meet  them,  Adeline  and  the  maid  would  be  landed  at  midnight  in  a  strange 
country,  where  conditions  may  or  may  not  be  absolutely  safe.  1  had  previously 
tried,  through  the  American  Embassy,  to  get  an  escort,  without  success,  and  I 
now  tried  again,  with  the  same  result.  There  was  also  the  question  of  Adeline 
getting  back,   as  our  time  of  sailing   is   drawing   near. 

Adeline  was  perfectly  willing  and  anxious  to  go  and  I  hated  to  disappoint 
her  and  Henry,  but  I  could  not  make  up  my  mind  that  it  was  the  right  thing 
to  do.  The  chances  were  that  everything  would  go  right  but  there  was  also  a 
chance  the  other  way.  I  would  not  have  allowed  my  child  to  go  and  I  could 
not  do  otherwise  with  Henry's,   when  under  my  charge. 

The  George  Newhalls  have  arrived  here  and  left  again  for  London  by  aero- 
plane. They  had  been  motoring  through  the  Chateau  district.  We  only  saw 
them  a  couple  of  times.  They  sail  for  home  the  same  day  that  w^e  do,  but  by 
the   Celtic. 

We  also  have  seen  Mrs.  Joe  Redding  and  she  took  tea  with  us.  Her  move- 
ments are  uncertain.  She  has  been  expecting  Joe  for  some  tinie  but  says  that 
if  he  delays  much  longer,  she  will  go  back  to  America  and  let  him  have  his 
European  trip  alone.  Such  a  prospect  will  surely  bring  Joe  over  in  hot  haste — 
perhaps. 

Nellie  finds  the  dressmakers*  fittings,  etc.  strenuous  and  tiresome,  so  we 
dine    quite    often   in   our   sitting    room    and    play   fanrily   bridge   afterwards.      We 


229 

also  patronize  the  Ritz  grill,  where  it  is  not  dressy.  In  the  way  oi  new  restaurants 
we  went  to  the  Abbaye  de  Thelem,  in  Montmartre  and  to  Les  Escargots  d'Or, 
near  the  Halles.  The  former  is  very  celebrated  and  considered  very  sporty.  It 
is  not  Bohemian,  as  it  is  too  expensive  and  swell  for  that,  but  there  is  lots  of 
dancing  and  night  life  going  on,  and  the  girls  were  much  pleased.  The 
Escargots  d'Or  is  very  plain  but  the  cuisine  is  quite  celebrated.  We  w^ere  among 
the  few  that  did  not  start  dinner  with  Escargots   (snails). 

I  got  a  letter  from  Joseph  Huppmann  giving  a  sad  account  of  his  Rnances, 
owing  to  the  depreciation  of  his  investments,  which  are  largely  in  German  and 
Austrian  securities.  1  afforded  him  some  help,  for  which  he  was  very  grateful, 
but  not  what  I  might  have  given  if  the  sugar  market  had  not  been  in  such  a 
frightful  condition.  As  regards  this,  I  have  got  in  touch  with  Lamborn's  office 
here.  One  of  his  partners,  Dyer,  has  just  returned  home  after  a  stay  of  some 
months  in  Europe. 

We  got  a  letter  from  Mrs.  Alleyne  the  other  day,  saying  that  she  could  not 
let  us  go  without  running  on  to  Paris  to  say  good-bye;  so  we  are  expecting  her 
any  day. 

PARIS.  SUNDAY,  August  29.  1920. 
Although  the  weather  was  cold  and  overcast,  the  same  as  it  has  been  mostly 
of  late,  we  took  a  motor  drive  to  St.  Germain,  all  except  Adeline,  who  had  a 
sitting  with  Mrs.  Cotton.  After  visiting  the  Museum  in  the  Castle,  over  which 
we  did  not  linger  long,  we  went  to  the  restaurant  of  the  Pavilion  d'Henry  IV 
at  one  end  of  the  Terrasse  de  St.  Germain,  from  which  the  view  of  the  Valley 
of  the  Seine  is  magnificent,  right  across  to  the  Eiffel  Tower  and  Montmartre 
Cathedral  in  the  distance.  On  a  bright  day  it  must  be  still  more  beautiful. 
Returning,  we  stopped  at  Maison  Lafltte.  where  tapestries  and  furniture  mostly 
are  on  exhibition.      The  road  was  very  poor  a  good  part  of  the  way. 

PARIS.  MONDAY.  August  30,   1920. 

This  morning,  when  reading  some  mail  at  the  Credit  Lyonnais.  I  was  very 
much  surprised  to  run  into  Lothar  Faber.  He  is  quite  stout  and  looks  very  well. 
His  chin  is  badly  scarred,  owing  to  his  operation  for  cancer  of  the  throat,  but 
he  feels  confident  as  his  doctors  tell  him  that  they  think  him  out  of  danger.  He 
lost  sixty  pounds  during  his  trouble,  but  has  gained  it  all  back  and  ten  pounds 
more,  which,  I  believe,  is  a  good  sign.  His  wife  is  with  him  but  is  still  a  terrible 
sufferer  from  asthma.  He  and  I  went  off  together  and  had  a  fine  lunch  at 
Margery's.      He  is  sailing  for  home  day  after  tomorrow. 

The  list  of  letters  for  acknowledgment  is  as  follows: 

S.S.W.,  August  9 — from  Feather  River  Inn,  with  the  usual  budget  of 
California  news  that  interests  us  so  much. 

B.A.O.»  Savannah,  August    16 — Sugar  news.      I  am  glad  to  be  kept  posted. 

H.T.O.,  August  1  7 — with  details  about  Savannah  and  also  report  of  his  sale 
of  yearlings. 

Joseph  and  Jeanne   Huppmann — already   referred   to. 

H.R.D.,  August    1  7 — answering  mine  of  August    3d. 

Louis  Hache,  August  29 — ^Announcing  that  he  will  come  to  Paris  to  see  me. 
His  eyes  are  so  bad  that  he  must  be  accompanied. 
Mailed  August  31,    1920. 

PARIS.  MONDAY.  September    13.    1920. 

Several  reasons  have  contributed  to  make  me  interrupt  the  writing  of  my 
diary,  but  I  intend  to  bring  it  up  to  date  during  the  voyage  home  on  the  Rotter- 


230 

dam.      We  leave  Paris  on  the  morning  of  September    1 6,   and   Nellie  and  myself 
are  anxious  to  get  home  now  as  soon  as  practicable. 

Since  last  advices  we  have   received  mail  as  follows: 

M.D.O.,  August  15,  No.  33  and  August  22d. — I  note  that  she  and  Alice 
expect  to  leave  for  New  York  on  the  1  6th,  and  we  are  looking  forward  to  seeing 
them  and  the   rest  of  the   family  with  the  fondest  expectation. 

S.S.W.,  August  21  and  28  (latter  to  Marie  Louise) — We  feel  much  worried 
about  her  continued  ill  health  and  will  be  glad  to  get  back  to  her  and  give  her 
moral  support.  Under  the  circumstances  we  think  she  is  right  not  to  go  East. 
The  news  of  Lan  Mizner's  death,  while  expected,  is  none  the  less  deeply  re- 
gretted. How  we  shall  miss  his  cheerful  presence  in  our  intimate  set.  None 
else  can  ever  fill  it. 

B.A.O.,  August  16  and  19  and  cable  of  September  8 — We  sympathize  with, 
and  share,  his  anxieties. 

Pardonner,   August   21 — with   annual  statements. 

H.T.O.,  August  1  7  and  24. — I  am  very  thankful  that  he  keeps  us  posted 
so  well.  We  count  absolutely  on  his  presence  on  the  dock  on  arrival  of  the 
steamer.      I  wish  he  would  bring  some  considerable  money  down  to  me. 

H.R.D.,  August  I  7. — I  regret  that  he  is  waiting  for  me  to  make  his  Cali- 
fornia visit,  as  it  w^ill  hurry  me  in  my  New  York  visit,  and  take  me  from  San 
Francisco  before  I  am  well  settled. 

Joseph    Huppmann,    August     2. — Nadine    Huppmann,    September     (postal) 
and  Miss  Hill,  August  27th. 
Mailed  September    13,    1920. 

Louis  Hache  arrived  in  Paris  and  called  with  his  nephew  Edmond,  who  had 
come  dow^n  from  Beuvry-les-Orchies  to  meet  him.  I  w^as  delighted  to  see  him 
and  1  had  them  to  lunch  on  both  days  of  their  stay.  His  eyesight  is  worse  than 
I  had  expected.  He  manages  to  write  but  cannot  re-read  his  letters.  The 
trouble  is  a  stoppage  of  the  tear  duct  and  consequent  pressure  on  some  optic 
nerve,  that  has  atrophied  it.  He  w^as  operated  on  the  left  eye  in  June  to  make 
a  nevsr  duct  and  while  here  this  time  consulted  again  the  same  specialist  who 
had  advised,  but  not  performed,  the  first  operation.  The  specialist  recommended 
the  same  operation  on  the  right  eye,  and  Hache  is  going  to  have  it  done  at 
once  at  Pau.  The  result  will  be  merely  to  arrest  any  further  degeneration. 
There  can  be  no  improvement.  He  is  remarkably  resigned,  because  he  can  still 
see  to  fish  in  the  river  near  his  home,  and  will  be  satisfied  to  hold  what  sight 
he    still    retains. 

We  had  two  bully  lunches — one  at  **les  Escargots  d*Or"  and  the  other  at 
the  Spanish  restaurant.  His  appetite  is  unimpaired,  which  is  also  the  case  with 
Edmond  and  I  was  not  far  behind. 

One  incident  that  they  told  me  of  the  German  occupation  of  Orchies  1 
must  relate — Hache's  brother's  family  consisted  of  father,  mother,  son  (Edmond, 
married),  and  daughter  (married).  Edmond  and  his  brother-in-law  were  of 
course  mobilized  and  were  not  there.  When  the  Germans  went  through  the 
first  time,  on  their  original  drive  to  Paris,  they  behaved  so  moderately  that 
Hache  pere,  and  the  women  and  children,  decided  to  remain  and  would  not  go 
South  when  they  still  might  have  done  so,  despite  the  entreaties  of  Louis  (my 
friend).  So  they  were  caught  and  held  there  during  the  entire  war.  As  a  rule 
they  w^ere  not  brutally  treated  and  their  experience  confirms  what  we  have  all 
heard,  that  the  individual  German  soldier  was  not  as  a  rule  brutal,  except  when 
directed  by  his  superiors  so  to  be.  What  they  suffered  most  from  was  the  lack 
of  sufficient  and  proper  food.      The  distribution  by  the  Americans,   which  is  all 


231 

that  was  allowed  them,  just  kept  them  from  starving.  They  had  to  eke  it  out 
by  such  means  as  stealing  at  night  some  of  the  grain  in  the  fields,  which  their 
own  forced  labor  raised  for  the  Germans — by  raising  rabbits  on  the  sly,  etc.,  etc. 
The  stolen  grain  they  ground  in  coffee  mills,  to  make  bread.  Of  course  this  told 
heavily  on  the  population  of  women,  (forced  to  work  hard  in  the  fields),  children 
and   elderly   people. 

Now  for  the  incident  spoken  of  above.  One  day  about  a  dozen  old  men 
and  boys  were   arrested,   and   without   any   reason   being   given   them,    they   were 

each  compelled  to  dig  his  own  grave  and  then  kneel  down  by  its  side a   firing 

squad  lined  up  in  front  of  them,  leveled  their  rifles,  and  then  .  .  .  did  not  fire. 
The  unfortunates  were  sent  back  to  their  homes  and  two  old  men  died  from  the 
shock  within  forty-eight  hours.  By  the  way,  Orchies  was  almost  completely 
destroed  but  Beuvry,  where  Hache's  people  lived,  was  not  badly  damaged. 

Hache's  little  fortune  of  about  $20,000,  was  half  in  France  and  half  in 
America.  1  had  always  attended  to  his  investments  but  a  short  time  ago,  not 
being  able  to  consult  with  me,  he  instructed  the  Oxnard  Savings  Bank,  which 
holds  his  securities,  to  sell  them  and  remit  to  him  in  francs.  His  idea  was  partly 
to  get  the  big  rate  of  exchange,  and  partly  to  get  all  his  money  into  French 
government  securities,  because  the  failure  of  his  eyesight  makes  it  difficult  for 
him  to  keep  track  of  American  investments.  I  pointed  out  the  folly  of  having  all 
his  eggs  in  one  basket,  particularly  in  his  helpless  condition,  and  together  we 
cabled  the  bank  of  Oxnard,  countermanding  the  selling  instructions.  I  how- 
ever received  a  leter  from  him  on  the  boat,  saying  that,  on  reaching  home  after 
leaving  me,  he  found  a  remittance  from  the  bank,  covering  the  liquidation  of 
one  half  of  his  American  investments.  As  to  the  other  half,  I  do  not  know  if  our 
counter  instructions  arrived  in  time  or  not. 

The  Erksine-Bolsts  came  back  to  the  Ritz,  after  a  most  interesting  motor  trip 
to  the  French  seaside  resorts  and  up  as  far  as  Ostend.  We  played  bridge  with 
him  one  night  and  also,  on  Sunday,  took  them  out  to  lunch  at  the  Pavilion  Henri 
IV,  at  St.  Germain.  They  had  intended  motoring  to  Venice  but  gave  that  up, 
partly  owing  to  the  disturbed  conditions  in  Italy.  These  seem  to  me  pretty  close 
to  anarchy.  When  the  workmen  seize  your  factory  by  force  and  the  govern- 
ment, instead  of  restoring  it  to  you  by  the  same  means,  temporizes  and  tries  to 
effect  a  compromise,  the  security  of  the  fabric  of  our  present  social  institutions 
seems  pretty  rickety.  In  speaking  of  this  matter  with  Mr.  Elihu  Root,  who  also 
is  returning  home  on  the  Rotterdam,  he  voiced  the  opinion,  that  the  practical 
demonstration  to  the  working  men  that,  after  seizing  the  factories,  they  would 
be  entirely  unable  to  run  them,  would  be  a  valuable  point  gained  for  the  future. 

To  come  back  to  the  Bolsts,  they  think  quite  likely  that  her  business  affairs 
will  compel  them  to  go  to  San  Francisco  in  November. 

Mrs.  AUeyne  has  arrived  to  be  with  us  until  we  sail.  She  is  stopping  nearby 
at  the  Hotel  Metropolitain,  where  we  were  once  years  ago  with  Ben  and  Robbie, 
James  and  Caroline,  but  takes  most  of  her  meals  -with.  us.  She  w^ent  to  the 
theatre  and  opera  with  the  girls.  We  also  took  her  to  the  "Tour  d'Argent"  to 
eat  one  of  the  justly  celebrated  ducks.  I  know  of  nobody  who  has  a  greater 
capacity  for  enjoyment  than  she,  whether  it  be  of  the  eye,  the  ear,  the  brain  or 
the  palate.  And  her  opportunities  for  enjoyment  have  been  so  rare  for  a  long 
time,  and  particularly  since  the  war,   that  it  was  a  pleasure  to  have  her  with  us. 

Doctor  de  Marville  has  got  back  from  his  vacation  and  cure,  which  extended 
from  Vichy  to  Aix-les-Bains.  He  also  is  a  man  with  a  great  capacity  for  enjoy- 
ment. He  made  another  examination  of  me  and  finds  my  condition  decidedly 
improved,   since  I  first  went  to  him.      He  found  my  blood  pressure  between    180 


232 

and  190,  which  he  says  is  all  right  for  my  age  and  the  satisfactory  condition  of 
my  arteries.  He  strongly  urges  however,  when  I  get  home,  a  change  in  my 
regular  habits  of  life  as  I  described  them  to  him.  More  moderation  in  eating, 
more  regular  moderate  exercise,  more  life  in  the  open  air.  He  even  advised  me 
to  join  the  Country  Club  again  and  go  in  moderately  for  quail  shooting — this  in 
opposition  to  Cooper's  advice.  I  told  him  the  speech  of  Baur  to  his  Doctor — 
"I  know  that  if  I  do  all  that  you  have  said  I  will  keep  well,  but  that  will  be  no 
credit  to  you.  Your  medical  skill  should  enable  you  to  let  me  live  just  as  1 
please,  and  still  keep  me  well". 

For  our  last  Sunday  we  decided  to  motor  out  to  Compiegne  to  visit  the 
Chateau,  said  to  contain  some  very  fine  tapestries.  Besides  Mrs.  Alleyne  we 
invited  de  Marville,  who  is  very  good  company.  Adeline  had  invited  some  school 
friends  to  lunch  and  could  not  go.  We  went  out  through  Chantilly  and  realized 
how  much  more  comfortable  our  new  car  is  than  the  one  we  had  before.  We 
had  a  good  lunch  at  the  "Hotel  du  Rond  Royal",  but  were  disappointed  in  the 
visit  to  the  Chateau,  as  the  tapestries  were  removed  during  the  war  and  have 
not  been  replaced  yet.  At  the  Chateau  there  are  some  evidences  of  shell 
damage,  and  more  at  several  places  in  the  vicinity. 

It  was  in  the  park  of  a  private  Chateau,  not  far  away,  that  the  armistice  was 
signed.  We  motored  out  there  but  only  got  as  far  as  the  gate,  as  visitors  are 
not  admitted.      I   was  rather   surprised  at  this. 

We  all  dined  that  night  at  the  restaurant  the  "Rabbit",  rue  Caumartin,  kept 
by  Hauser,  an  American,  in  a  little  stuffy  room  above  the  bar.  We  had  broiled 
fish  roe,  chicken  fricassee  made  by  a  Southern  darky  cook  and  hot  griddle  cakes, 
with  maple  sugar.      It  was  good  but  he  soaked  us  good  and  plenty. 

Miss  Kline  calls  occasionally.  The  poor  thing  has  a  dreadful  cough  and 
looks  terribly  and  we  dread  to  think  what  will  happen  if  she  gets  really  bed 
ridden,  as  was  the  case  just  for  a  day  last  week,  when  the  girls  climbed  up  to 
her  little  apartment  to  take  her  some  flowers.  It  is  remarkable  how  she  keep» 
up    her   spirits   under   the    circumstances. 

We  are  parting  with  regret  from  our  maid,  Jeanne  Louge,  to  whom  I  gave 
a  reference  in  French,  certifying  that  she  was  honest,  capable,  intelligent,  re- 
spectful, a  hard  worker  and  very  amiable.  All  the  others  agreed  to  everything 
except  intelligent,  and  Jeanne  wept  when  she  read  the  paper.  I  should  have 
added  "cheerful".  The  girls  have  grown  quite  chummy  with  her.  She  went 
down  to  the  train  with  us  and  gave  Louise,  the  maid  that  Adeline  is  taking  over, 
two  hearty  and  resounding  kisses  at  parting.  She  also  again  shed  a  few  tears. 
She  says  she  has  never  had  such  a  place  and  never  expects  to  again.  I  hope 
that  Louise  will  turn  out  as  well,  but  she  is  not  the  same  rough  and  ready  sort, 
though  more  efficient  in  her  way. 

By  the  way,  I  have  asked  all  our  friends,  and  some  that  have  not  that 
distinction,  to  find  a  cook  for  Henry,  but  they  almost  all  say  that,  if  they  could 
recommend  one,  they  w^ould  take  her  themselves.  The  genus  cook,  good  and 
dependable,  is  extinct  in  France.  1  even  made  enquiries  of  Vasseux,  the  French 
Chemist,  when  he  called  upon  me  on  his  return  from  Oxnard,  and  was  told  that 
Henry  had  already  spoken  to  him  in  New  York,  and  that  he  had  sent  one  to  him, 
highly  recommended  at  his  hotel.      So   perhaps   Henry   is  already  Hxed. 

Vasseux  speaks  quite  confidently  of  having  shown  us  at  Oxnard  how  to 
make  an  ammonia  fertilizer,  and  also  yeast  from  molasses,  as  far  as  the  technical 
problems  are  concerned;  but  disclaims  all  knowledge  of  how  the  commercial 
details  will  work  out.  1  am  therefore  not  sanguine  of  success  but  I  do  hope 
that  this   trip   will   either   have   taught   us   how  to    go   ahead,   or   else   shown   that 


233 

we  had  better  drop  the  problems.  He  says  the  yeast  factory  that  he  has  just 
started  here  is  proving  an  eminent  success.  1  am  in  the  way  of  getting,  through 
Alexander,  of  the  Journal  des  Fabricants  de  Sucre,  a  lot  more  data  about  yeast, 
that  will  follow  me  to  California. 

The  day  before  leaving,  I  settled  up  with  Melon,  the  chauffeur.  He  feels 
that,  through  my  help  at  the  opportune  moment,  he  has  got  his  foot  in  the 
stirrup  and  is  on  the  way  to  prosperity.  He  certainly  deserves  it  for  he  is  one 
of  the  best  men  I  have  ever  employed.  He  has  not  given  us  a  single  reason  for 
complaint  in  all  the  time  we  have  had  him. 

I  forgot  to  say  just  above,  that  Vasseaux  says  he  thinks  the  Oxnard  factory 
the  best  organized  and  run  in  the  world.  He  says  there  is  nothing  that  ap- 
proaches it,  in  France  certainly,  or  in  his  opinion  anywhere  else.  I  was  very 
glad  to  hear  this  and  I  do  think  that  the  manufacturing  end  of  our  business  is 
thoroughly  well  and  successfully  organized.  I  wish  I  could  feel  the  same  about 
the  other  departments,  particularly  the  agricultural,  which  is  the  crown  of  the 
arch.  I  only  wish  that  poor  James  could  hear  this,  because,  although  we  have 
improved  since  his  time,  he  was  the  one  that  first  planned  and  laid  out  our  sys- 
tem of  factory  work. 

I  went  to  see  Adeline's  portrait  when  it  was  almost  finished  and  it  cer- 
tainly is  a  very  attractive  piece  of  work.  Mrs.  Cotton  is  a  greater  portrait 
painter  than  I  had  imagined.  From  the  way  that  she  spoke  to  Marie  Louise  once, 
I  think  she  is  going  to  be  very  much  disappointed  if  we  do  not  buy  it.  This  is 
what  I  instinctively  feared  from  the  beginning,  in  spite  of  what  she  said.  There- 
fore, when  she  suggested  to  Adeline  that  we  should  take  the  portrait  for  Henry 
to  see,  I  did  not  accept  the  suggestion.  I  do  not  want  to  take  the  portrait  into 
our  possession  as  it  would  then  be  much  harder  to  refuse  to  keep  it,  as  no  objec- 
tion could  reasonably  be  made  on  the  score  of  not  liking  it.  I  understand  she 
is  going  to  send  it  to  New  York  herself. 

The  Ritz  is  very  well  run  except  as  regards  the  telephone  service  and  the 
concierge  department.  These  are  simply  atrociously  managed.  Time  and  again, 
people  have  called  and  been  told  that  we  were  out  when  such  was  not  the  case, 
and  even,  in  Marie  Louise's  case,  that  she  was  not  stopping  there.  Also,  that 
she  had  been  there  but  had  left  tw^o  weeks  before.  Telephone  enquiries  were  un- 
likely to  reach  us  even  when  we  were  surely  in  the  rooms.  Repeated  com- 
plaints never  did  any  good.  It  was  almost  as  bad  at  the  Plaza  Athenee  and  we 
hear  similar  complaints  from  people  at  other  hotels. 

PARIS.  THURSDAY,  September  16,  1920. 
Our  registered  baggage  went  yesterday  afternoon  to  the  Gare  du  Nord, 
and  this  morning  we  left  by  the  special  train  at  9  o'clock  for  Boulogne  and  the 
Steamship  Rotterdam.  We  had  been  told  that  all  the  baggage  would  be  examined 
at  Boulogne  and  that  there  we  could  get  the  10%  luxury  tax  refunded,  on  some 
of  our  bills  that  were  entitled  to  it.  Instead  of  that,  when  we  reached  there  at 
one  o'clock,  our  registered  baggage  had  come  down  by  an  earlier  train  and  was 
already  on  board,  and  we  were  rushed  through  to  the  tender  without  any 
examination  of  hand  baggage,  or  any  chance  to  make  a  claim  for  refund.  The 
whole  thing  was  badly  managed,  perhaps  purposely.  The  hand  baggage  was 
not  carried  by  the  employees  of  the  company  but  by  independent  lots  of  porters, 
at  different  stages,  and  all  bent  on  getting  exorbitant  fees.  As  to  this,  Boulogne 
was  no  exception  and,  throughout  our  long  voyage,  this  question,  of  porters 
for  hand  baggage  and  their  pay,  has  been  a  constantly  recurring  annoyance, 
except  when  we  were  travelling  with  a  courrier.      To  make   matters  worse,   we 


234 

not  only  had  a   great  many  pieces  of  hand  baggage  but  they  were  of  unwieldy 
size,  which  latter  is  a   great  mistake. 

The  Rotterdam  looked  perfectly  huge  as  the  tender  went  alongside  and 
inspired  confidence.  She  is  not  as  luxurious  as  the  Olympic,  on  which  we  came 
home  the  last  time,  but  is  very  comfortable  and  remarkably  steady.  Our 
cabins  and  bathrooms  are  large.  Ours  has  large  windows  but  the  girls'  cabin, 
being  inside,  is  dark,  and  they  have  to  keep  the  electric  lights  on  all  the  time. 
They  however,  have  a  direct  air  shaft  to  the  outside.  We  have  a  table  for  four 
to  ourselves  and  have  chosen  the  second  sitting — lunch  at  1:15,  dinner  7:15. 
Our  steamer  chairs  have  been  placed  a  little  too  far  forward  but  the  ship  is  so 
steady  this  does  not  matter.  Our  chair  deck  is  almost  all  closed  in,  but  with  an 
almost  continuous  line  of  large  windows,  which  can  be  let  down  for  air,  so 
that  this  arrangement  is  very  satisfactory. 

PARIS.  AUGUST  31  TO  SEPTEMBER  16,   1920. 
(Written  on  board  the  Rotterdam  on  the  voyage  to  New  York.) 

The  last  half  month  of  our  stay  in  Paris  was  under  the  shadow  of  the  con- 
tinued unfavorable  advices  regarding  the  course  of  the  sugar  market.  A  letter 
from  Henry  of  the  4th  told  us  that  Ben  had  had  a  heart  attack,  caused  by  high 
blood  pressure,  and  that  he  would  be  unable  to  travel  for  some  weeks.  I  at 
once  cabled  for  news  and  the  next  day  (  15th),  received  a  cable  from  Henry,  that 
probably  had  crossed  mine,  saying  that  Ben  was  doing  well.  1  have  asked  him  to 
w^ireless  any  important  developments  and  hope  he  may  be  able  to  report  con- 
tinued improvement  in  Ben's  condition. 

Early  in  the  month  young  Guynet,  on  behalf  of  his  nxother,  asked  Marie 
Louise  to  motor  down  with  them  from  Paris  to  Beaulieu  on  the  Riviera,  where 
they  own  a  villa.  The  married  daughter  and  her  husband  were  going  down  by 
train,  and  some  of  the  family  would  come  back  the  same  way  in  time  to  bring 
M.  L.  back,  tw^o  or  three  days  before  our  departure.  This  invitation  w^as  con- 
firmed by  the  mother,  w^hen  w^e  met  her  at  Giro's,  w^here  she  had  invited  us  to 
tea.  She  is  a  very  attractive  woman,  who  has  travelled  extensively  and  spent 
some  months  in  New  York. 

The  son  has  also  travelled  a  good  deal,  partly  as  a  child,  when  his  father 
took  him  to  the  Congo,  where  he  has  property  interests.  Lately  to  Morocco,  in 
connection  with  his  father's  business,  and  where  his  health  suffered  through 
an  attempt  to  poison  him,  from  which  he  has  scarcely  recovered.  His  mother 
does  not  know  the  cause  of  his  illness,  which  is  kept  from  her  because  he  is  going 
back  to  Morocco  on  business,  shortly.  He  is  a  queer  boy,  very  serious  and 
excessively  polite,  not  at  all  the  accepted  type  of  a  young  frenchman  of  means. 
He  is  evidently  much  taken  with  Marie  Louise  and  we  cannot  but  think  that  it 
is  his  wish,   and  not  his  mother's,   that  she  should  accompany  them. 

However  we  consented  to  let  M.  L.  go  and  they  were  to  start  Sunday 
morning  (6th).  On  Saturday  1  got  a  letter  from  Mme.  Guynet  saying  that, 
owing  to  unexpected  developments  in  connection  with  her  son's  sailing  from 
Marseilles  to  Oran  (Morocco),  none  of  them  would  be  coming  back  to  Paris 
in  time,  but  that  she  w^ould  herself  put  Marie  Louise  on  the  train  at  Marseilles, 
and  recommend  her  to  the  train  officials,  her  husband  having  influential  relations 
w^ith  the  company.  Nellie  and  1  were  not  over  enthusiastic  over  the  whole 
proposition  for  several  reasons,  among  others  the  short  leeway  before  our  sail- 
ing, in  case  of  any  hitch.  Marie  Louise  was  anxious  to  go  for  the  new  experi- 
ence, but,  in  spite  of  her  disappointment,  she  gracefully  yielded  to  our  w^ishe» 
and  we  politely  called  the  thing  off. 


235 

Lucille  Thornton  arrived  at  the  Ritz  for  a  few  days,  before  taking  the 
■Olympic  for  New  York,  shortly  before  our  departure.  We  took  her  to  dinner 
at  La  Perouse. 

We  saw  young  Horace  Chase  twice.  The  first  time  he  was  on  his  way  to 
Venice,  to  motor  through  Italy,  as  he  expressed  it,  with  Miss  De  la  Mar.  This 
young  lady  is  touring  through  Europe  with  a  young  lady  friend.  Miss  Johnson, 
and  without  any  other  chaperone.  I  don't  know^  how^  long  Horace  was  with 
them  but  when  they  came  through  Paris,  on  their  way  home  by  the  Aquitania, 
Horace  showed  up  also  and  was  going  home  by  the  same  boat.  In  the  meantinxe 
he  had  called  on  Mrs.  McCreery  and  Lucille  at  Lake  Como.  When  we  asked 
about  his  family  he  said  he  had  not  heard  from  theni  for  months.  He  took 
Marie  Louise  and  Adeline  to  tea,  at  Giro's  I  believe,  where  they  danced. 

Going  over  the  events  of  the  past  year,  1  find  that  w^e  have  visited  nineteen 
different  countries,  and  have  spent  our  money  in  seventeen  different  kinds  of 
legal  tender. 

I  find  forty-nine  different  visas  and  endorsements  on  our  passports,  which 
had  to  have  two  additional  pages  attached  to  them  to  receive  these.  They  also 
had  to  be  extended  twice  during  our  term  of  absence.  The  loss  of  time,  the 
vexation  and  the  red  tape,  attendant  upon  passport  formalities,  were  on  occasions 
a  serious  drawback  to  our  enjoyment,  but  fade  in  retrospect  now  that  all  is  over. 

The  list  of  correspondents  with  whom  we  communicated  by  letter  or  postal 
numbered  seventy-one.  Our  many  friends  had  been  kind  enough  to  give  us 
sixty-two  letters  of  introduction,  mostly  for  the  Orient.  We  apprecitaed  them 
very  much  and  deeply  regretted  that  we  could  present  comparatively  few^  of 
them,  because  the  rate  at  w^hich  w^e  were  travelling  made  it  impossible  otherwise. 
Judged  by  the  time  elapsed,  our  progress  may  not  seem  so  rapid,  but  judged  by  the 
amount  that  we  wished  to  sse,  up  to  the  time  we  reached  Europe,  it  precluded 
availing  ourselves  of  many  introductions. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  a  stay  of  a  few  days  in  any  one  place  gives  no  chance 
of  satisfactory  arrangements  to  either  those  presenting,  or  those  receiving,  letters 
of  introduction.  1  will  cite  a  few  examples:  Minister  Morris  at  Tokyo  wa« 
anxious  to  entertain  us,  in  acknowledgment  of  the  letter  from  Admiral  Grayson, 
but  his  prior  engagements  and  ours  made  it  impossible  during  the  time  of  our 
stay  in  Tokyo.  The  Governor  General  of  the  East  Indies  seemed  anxious,  out 
of  compliment  to  Governor  General  Harrison  of  the  Philippines,  to  have  us  dine 
with  him,  but  1  only  managed  to  call  upon  him  the  day  before  our  leaving  Buiten- 
2org;    and  so  it  goes. 

At  the  time  of  our  travel  through  the  Orient,  there  was  still  a  great  scarcity 
of  ship  tonnage  all  over  the  world,  many  lines  not  having  had  sufficient  vessels 
assigned  to  them  to  enable  them  to  maintain  a  satisfactory  schedule.  Hence 
we  were  on  the  anxious  seat,  more  or  less,  throughout  our  trip  regarding  steam- 
ship accommodations,  and  the  dates  when  these  could  be  secured  were  the 
dominating  factor  in  our  movements. 

Everywhere  that  we  went  the  ships  were  crowded,  the  trains  were  crowded, 
and  the  hotels  were  crowded.  It  seemed  as  if,  after  the  great  cataclysm  of  the 
war,  the  peoples  of  the  earth  were  in  a  state  of  unrest  and  were  moving  hither 
and  thither  like  the  occupants  of  a  disturbed  ant  hill;  or  like  great  flocks  of  birds 
disturbed  in  their  haunts,  and  circling  around  before  settling  down  again. 

It  was,  however,  a  great  surprise  to  find  in  so  few  places  evidences  of  the 
^reat  war.  In  the  capitals  of  Europe,  in  the  world  of  the  hotels,  theatres, 
restaurants  and  shops,  the  tourist  seems  to  find  everything  going  along  about  as 


236 

before.  Not  even  in  Germany  did  I  see,  on  the  surface,  much  evidence  of  the 
strain  to  which  the  people  had  been  subjected.  The  running  of  the  Grand  Prix 
in  Paris,  for  instance,  drew  the  largest  crowd  on  record.  The  people  seemed  to 
have  plenty  of  money,  such  as  it  was,  and  were  bent  on  enjoying  themselves. 

I  tried  to  prepare  myself  to  answer  the  question  as  to  which  was  the  most 
interesting  country  through  which  we  passed,  and  I  have  made  up  my  mind  that 
no  one  country  is  entitled  to  the  distinction.  For  instance,  the  most  pleasing 
collection  of  buildings  that  we  saw  formed  the  temple  at  Nikko,  standing  in  its 
grove  of  cryptomeria  trees,  reminding  one  of  our  own  redwoods.  We  decided 
that  the  most  picturesquely  beautiful  spot  that  we  saw  was  Taormina  in  Sicily, 
•with  Mt.  Aetna  in  the  background;  and  the  grandest  of  all  buildings  was  St. 
Peter's  in  Rome.  However,  we  did  not  see  anything  to  equal  in  grandeur  the 
Grand  Canyon  of  the  Colorado,  or,  in  combined  beauty  and  grandeur,  Yosemite. 
The  slums  of  the  Orient,  and  the  picturesqueness  of  their  inhabitants,  did  not 
present  themselves  so  forcibly  to  one  who  has  known  the  Chinatown  of  San 
Francisco  before  the  fire. 

It  struck  me  as  very  odd  that  the  one  thing  which  seemed  the  same  the 
world  over  was  the  cooking.  By  that,  I  do  not  mean  the  food  of  the  natives, 
but  I  mean  that  everywhere  the  tourist  is  confronted  with  bills  of  fare  containing 
dishes  with  French  names,  and  ostensibly  cooked  in  the  French  style. 

In  the  course  of  our  travels,  on  the  other  hand,  one  of  the  things  that 
varied  the  most  was  the  rate  of  wages  paid  to  the  people  that  work  with  their 
hands.  These  wages,  in  the  different  countries,  including  our  own,  ranged  froni 
$10.00  per  day  to  10  cents  per  day,  and  the  recipients  were  apparently  equally 
dissatisfied. 

I  mentioned  the  subject  of  massage  quite  frequently  in  the  diary,  and  1 
want  to  summarize  by  saying  that  I  employed,  from  the  time  I  left  home  until 
1  got  back,  twenty'.three  different  masseurs,  good,  bad  and  indifferent,  whose 
rates  of  compensation  ranged  from  1  Japanese  yen  (50c)  to  1  Egyptian  pound 
($4.00). 

As  regards  guide  books,  we  found  that  the  wise  thing  for  an  intending 
traveller  would  be  to  study  these  in  advance  of  starting  on  the  voyage,  as  the 
hurry  and  strain  of  quick  travel  does  not  give  time  to  properly  consult  guide 
books.  There  is  one  exception  to  this,  which  is  the  book  called — "Things 
Japanese",  by  Chamberlain.  This  is  not  exactly  a  guide  book,  but  it  contains 
articles,  running  from  a  few  lines  to  a  few  pages,  on  every  conceivable  subject 
that  one  would  find  of  interest  in  Japan.  It  added  immensely  to  the  pleasure  of 
our  visit  and  would  well  repay  reading  by  anybody  at  home.  We  often  regretted 
that  we  could  find  no  similar  book  relating  to  other  countries. 

As  regards  baggage,  we  were  handicapped  by  the  fact  that  we  had  to  take 
clothes  both  for  cold  weather  and  for  tropical  weather.  This  resulted  in  our 
having  so  much  baggage  as  to  make  it  quite  a  care  and  burden,  as  well  as  an 
expense.  It  is  hard  to  see  how  that  could  have  been  avoided  in  our  case,  unless 
we  had  been  willing  to  discard  all  our  heavy  clothes  on  entering  the  Tropics, 
and  buy  very  light  clothing — and  then  again  discard  that  for  ordinary  European 
apparel.  As  for  the  expedient  of  putting  the  discarded  clothing  into  separate 
trunks,  and  having  these  forwarded  to  the  place  where  they  would  be  useful 
again,  that  is  not  practicable  with  express  facilities  as  we  found  them,  and  with 
the  crossing  of  so  many  custom  house  frontiers.  It  was  extremely  difficult,  and 
vexatious  to  a  degree,  to  get  anything  transported  even  across  one  European 
frontier,  except  when  accompanied  by  owner. 


237 

We  both  lost  weight  during  the  course  of  the  trip,  but  have  tended  to  get 
it  back  after  our  return. 

We  had  taken  the  precaution  of  having  both  Sterling  Exchange  and  Dollar 
Exchange  Credits,  but  we  could  have  gotten  along  satisfactorily  with  either  one. 

In  conclusion,  we  both  feel  that  it  is  a  great  privilege  to  have  been  able  to 
take  this  voyage,  and  we  hope  that  all  those  who  have  patiently  read  this  diary 
may  have  the  opportunity  of  doing  the  same. 


CHAPTER  XV. 
Home  Again 


241 

HOME  AGAIN. 

The  voyage  across  the  Atlantic  was  uneventful.  Nellie  and  I  met  very  few 
people,  but  the  girls  got  acquainted  with  some  young  college  boys  returning, 
either  from  ordinary  vacations  or  from  some  war  work.  Through  these  boys 
they  got  acquainted  with  other  young  girls,  so  that,  by  the  time  the  trip  was 
over,  they  had  a  large  circle  of  acquaintances  and  enjoyed  the  frequent  dances 
given  on  deck  very  much. 

I  was  introduced  to  them  all,  but  1  don't  even  remember  their  names, 
except  in  the  case  of  a  young  man  called  Elias,  who  stands  out  from  the  rest 
because  he  and  Marie  Louise  had  a  red-hot  flirtation,  the  momentum  of  which 
lasted  over  for  the  few  days  that  she  was  in  New  York.  He  was  travelling  with 
his  father,  an  invalid,  his  mother  and  sister,  and  we  met  them  also. 

The  ship  was  very  steady  and  we  had  no  weather  that  would  even  excuse 
the  slightest  sea  sickness,  consequently  we  enjoyed  the  table,  which  was  very 
good;  particularly  as  the  steward,  on  whom  1  had  made  a  good  impression  in 
the  usual  way,  was  exceedingly  attentive  and  cooked  any  special  dishes  for 
which  we   expressed  a   preference. 

The  only  notables  that  we  met  were  Mr.  Elihu  Root,  returning  from  his 
labors  at  The  Hague,  with  his  wife  and  family;  and  Mr.  Warburg,  formerly  of 
the  banking  firm  of  Kuhn,  Loeb  and  Company.  It  will  be  remembered  that  he 
left  that  firm  to  join  the  Federal  Reserve  Board,  of  which  he  was  considered  one 
of  the  ablest  members.  Later  on,  and  at  the  commencement  of  the  war,  he 
resigned  to  relieve  the  President  of  a  possibly  embarrassing  situation,  on  account 
of  his  German  origin. 

There  was  also  on  board  an  English  artist  by  the  name  of  Harris  Brown, 
a  portrait  painter  of  some  note,  one  of  whose  pictures  is  in  the  Luxembourg.  We 
liked  the  photographs  that  he  showed  us  of  his  portraits  very  much  indeed. 

We  dropped  anchor  off  Sandy  Hook  Light  Ship  on  Saturday  morning, 
September  23th.  Owing  to  a  very  thick  fog  we  were  kept  there,  in  company 
with  a  large  number  of  other  vessels,  fog-bound  for  thirty-six  hours.  That  I 
believe  is  a  most  unusual  occurrence.  Consequently,  we  did  not  get  up  to  the 
dock  at  Hoboken  until  Sunday  afternoon,  September  26th,  which  made  a  voyage 
of  ten  days. 

At  the  dock  we  were  met  by  the  ever  faithful  Henry  and  also  by  Reggie 
Jenny,  one  of  Adeline's  beaux.  Henry  gave  us  all  the  latest  news,  particularly 
regarding  Ben's  health,  which  shows  no  appreciable  change.  He  and  Jenny 
stood  outside  the  rail,  while  we  struggled  with  Uncle  Sam's  minions  of  the 
Custom  House  and  paid  liberal  tribute.  After  that  we  went  up  to  the  Hotel 
Plaza,  which  we  reached  at  half  past  eight,  and  only  got  dinner  in  our  sitting 
room  at  ten  o'clock. 

With  our  safe  return  to  our  native  land  I  will  now  close  this  diary,  instead 
of  carrying  it  on  to  San  Francisco,  as  our  joint  voyage  really  ended  here. 

Owing  to  Ben's  state  of  health  and  his  inability  to  do  active  work,  his 
responsibilities  had  largely  fallen  upon  Henry.  I  was  therefore  prompted,  both 
by  inclination  and  duty,  to  stay  in  New  York  and  share  the  load,  for  a  time  at 
least.  There  was  nothing  to  keep  the  rest  of  the  party,  so  within  a  few  days 
Adeline  went  back  to  Washington,  while  Nellie  and  Marie  Louise  returned  to 
San  Francisco,  where  I  did  not  join  them  until  just  before  Thanksgiving. 


Fin 


IS 


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